Starcraft: A Soldier's Story
by Ryodin
Summary: While most people hear about the exploits of admirals and heroes of war, the tales that are left out are usually those of the men and women who fight the hardest. Enter the lives of ordinary soldiers struggling to survive. 20 up, Technical difficulties.
1. Rude Awakening

This is a fiction that I formed, trying to avoidusing any heroes that I can. However, some contact with heroes is going to happen, thats unavoidable.

I don't own any of this except for the invented characters and their tale. This is to be a long ongoing story... so every once in a while you'll find an update.

Starcraft: A Soldier's Story  
Ch. 1 Rude awakening

Red light cut through the darkness.

"Ah, what in all the nine depths of hell?" Private Kagi stirred in his sleep, and rolled over to look at the clock. 2:23 flashed in green amongst the red light filling the room from the alarms. "2:23? What the hell, they only run drills in thirty minute increments," something clicked in Kagi's mind.

His eyes opened wide, and stared at the color. "R...red? No... It can't be red, Shit, yellow is drill; red means attack!" He swung off the bed, landing his socked feet into his boots. He remembered the schedule Cody managed to get from one of the high ups; a drill was scheduled for tonight, but rather for 3 AM not 2:23 AM. If they didn't know about the missing schedule that meant that the red light must be real.

"Sam get your big ass up, there's an attack," Kagi was pulling on his pants; they were navy blue with a worn double florescent yellow stripe down the outer side. Their material was a weaker version of Kevlar, still near impossible to rip, and hard to pierce with a weapon, but much more comfortable, a thin layer of soft material beneath it kept him warm or cold, depending on the outer temperature, to a degree.

_"Sam!"_ Kagi was fed up with his heavy sleeping; enough was enough, that alarm should have woken him.

He looked up and grabbed, intending to rip the sheet off his bed... but all he got was wet, red, and torn fragments... no, not torn, cut. Kagi wasstricken; a hole was ripped in the center of the bed, two thick gashes, and Zergling claw marks.

_"No!"_ cut open dog tags, and a piece of what might be human liver were all that remained of him. Kagi snatched the dog tags, and started putting them on with one hand as he tugged his military jacket on over his white undershirt. The jacket was as well navy blue with a similar stripe, only in slightly better condition. The materials were the same.

The ground shook.

In his startled state he fell back onto his friend's bed. At the same time, his exploded with a burst of dirt, mattress foam, and air. Two large scythes swung in, clutched nothing, and went back to the hole.

It dawned on him, what was happening. The Zerg were burrowing through the bottom of the barracks and pulling the soldiers under from there. This was war to Zerg, no honor, no rules. This is what it was to their enemies.

Mindless slaughter.

The majority of what was left of his bed exploded as the entire Zergling burst forth. It stood atop his ruined mattress, its slightly red glowing eyes watching him, staring directly at him. No, more staring through him, as if he were a stone in its path. Blood was on its scythes, it had already killed.

He looked franticly around for some defense, again something clicked in his mind, he pulled out Cody's top drawer, and reached beneath the socks, yanking out a knife, Cody's favorite.

Its hilt was black steel, welded completely to the full tang of the eight-inch blade, the blade itself was made of 'super alloy' used in the early spacecraft missions back on Earth, rust proof, amazingly strong, and reasonably light. The creature moved, shifting its weight to its left leg.

Zerglings were the basic fighters of the Zerg, like marines to the Terran, the humans. They were short, the size of a large dog, and shaped much like one, as a body shape. The now extinct race called Dune Runners is the Zergling; the Zerg, in their original form, which takes command of the central nervous system, infested it. Eventually their DNA was incorporated into the Zerg themselves, making it possible for their original form to become the Dune Runner, not just infest it. However, in order to survive battles that DNA was altered, millions of years of battle hardening in a few measly decades, if that. Supposing they were just large dog like creatures, with a hardened skin, their new skin is an intense exoskeleton, with strong leg power, like that of a cheetah just weighted down withchitinousskin. On the top of it some exposed flesh is covered in plated exoskeleton armor, the rest of its surface is a hardened carapace with strength resembling Kevlar. Its tail reaches back as long as the rest of its body. The 'lings never quite look like they were made right, always disgruntled in some way; possibly since they grow at such an advanced pace. Though its greatest weapons are the arms sticking out from its back, with their long scythes for hands. The mouth has a skeletal lower jaw that looks to be made simply for tearing into anything, even steel. They appear in massive swarms and wipe out all who get in their way.

It lunged.

Kagi kicked his feet forward, letting the planet's 1.3 gravity pull him sharply to the ground, and out of the attack path. It flew over his head, he heard the metal of the walls screech as its scythes scrapped slightly, followed by the thud of its head smashing against it. Kagi stoop back up, swinging around to face his opponent, as did it.

He pulled himself to his left, ducking under its swinging scythe and buried the knife into its right upper shoulder, and pried.

The armored hide and muscle ripped under the pressure, tearing the entire limb off, bright red fluids sprayed out for a moment.

Screeching from the lost arm, it swung back around with its left, Kagi stepped in back to the right, too close for the blade to cut through his lightened Kevlar. And rammed his knife into the 'ling's jaw, smashing a bone in the roof of its mouth, piercing to where its brain should be, it lifted the scythe to plunge it into his back.

He twirled the knife in the 'ling's newfound crevice. And struck his mark, it immediately went stiff. Everything stopped within the room, war could be heard outside the walls, and in some rooms, but it wasn't in Kagi'sroom anymore. The 'ling crumpled.

Removing the dagger he looked at the small gray matter of a brain gathered at the end, and cleaned it with a shard of the bedding.

He looked again at this knife, the blade itself had a flat back until the 6th inch, where it bent down and then swiftly up, the underside was completely serrated, with smooth, and saw toothed points all across the blade, it first dipped down, and then sharply up to form a perfect point. A truly excellent quality knife, he would care for it well. It probably cost a good chunk of his monthly credit alotment.

A scream in the distance caught his attention, he turned to get his armor, both the marine power-armor suits and the gauss rifles had been ripped from the barracks itself. He cursed himself, pulled open his drawer and pulled out the two things he held of value, a deep blue sapphire, half as long as his little finger, and as wide as his middle finger was wide. Shaped like the conventional Mermaid's tear. Elhaym had given him that as a present, and he couldn't bring himself to part with it.

And his going away picture, one of Elly, who had been in love with him through all of his earth academy days, and his direct family, one sister, mother and father, and himself. The truth was he developed feelings for her as well. But it interfered with military career too much, and decided to throw it away. Now his heart ached in fear, and of the loss of his friend Cody. Still it perplexed him how she could have loved him, she was beautiful, truly beautiful, him no near match, he had light brown, nearly dirty blonde hair, in a shaggy style. He had a build standard to military men, strong, with obvious muscle, but nothing like a body builder, he took his spare time further his skills, not build brawn.

He had a number of admirers throughout his two years of high school, many thought of him as quite a prize, but he never really joinedin that sort ofthinking. Joining the military in his third year, in those first two he never had dated.Only Elly, whom he met in his year of military academy, had stuck by him.

Something in the room adjacent to his tore, sounded like steel. He was facing the sound, and realized, Sean was over there, not as close a friend as Cody, but they still stuck by each other everywhere.

"Blood and death!" he shouted as he scrambled out the door, wielding his borrowed knife in his right hand, the left was in a fist, knuckles white with his rage.


	2. Shattered Dreams

I don't own any of this except for the invented characters and their tale. This is to be a long ongoing story... so every once in a while you'll find an update.

Ch. 2 Shattered dreams

Smells of fresh blood, steel, and raw ground filled the air, sickening Kagi as he entered the hall. Tears in the hall itself, a few bullet holes, and numerous bloodstains were all that greeted him.

There were 6 rooms in each hall, four halls in all, making forty- eight men in total per class C barracks. The inner rooms didn't have windows, or anything else to compensate for the lack. Not that the windows were very good anyway, just shutter ready slits in the wall.

Sean and Andy's door opened at his presence, he stepped inside, the room was completely black aside from light in the hallway, and from the position of the light he couldn't see anything within. His hand ran along the wall searching for their switch. A click sounded.

Light flooded the room, Kagi fell to his knees, the door closing behind him; both beds had holes in them once again. But Andy tried to get away, and was cut in two by huge crossing swipes, some flesh was cut up and hanging out, organs were visible through the gashes. Yet that wasn't the problem.

Kagi's mere queasy feeling elevated, his stomach jerked as the mostly dissolved contents of his dinner flowed onto the ground. His face burned into Kagi's mind, contorted in such fear, pain, and shock. Dried blood was on his mouth, as one of the damaged organs was a lung. But his eyes, they stared straight out, into nothingness like he was searching for something, someone before he died, but passed without its comfort.

His stomach continued to convulse, but noting was left, his tears dropped from his face as he stood unevenly, weakened. He took the next moment to again survey the room.

The body and bloody beds made up the major portion of the rooms, but that left the armors, both gone, both guns with them.

"Curse," he gasped as his stomach finally calmed, "those ba-bastards."

His back pressed to the door, it slipped beneath his jacket; he rolled on his shoulder into the hallway.

A 'ling dashed through the center hall, _they're still in here,_he thought.

Its unwelcome presence prompted him to take off into the nearest of the doors, right next to Sean's. The door slid open, putting a Zergling in his direct view.

"Blood an..." he began, but it wasn't moving, then he noticed small bullet wounds across its hide, it had been shot! So where is the gun that did it?

The door fully opened, a man was huddled in the corner of his bed, the other had a hole, bloody as usual. "Are you ok!" Kagi shouted. He looked up, letting one leg slide down. His face was dead pale, and a gash was on his side, reddening all the cloths nearby the cut. He stepped forward to him.

"STAY BACK," he suddenly screamed.

"But... your wound?" Kagi replied.

"Tch, I'm already dead, there's a Zergling under my bed right now, waiting for revenge because of _that_,"he spat at the dead 'ling.

"What of your gun?" he said, gesturing to the bloody Zergling. He pointed next to Kagi, he followed the trail of his finger to find a gauss rifle, broken in three parts. The 'ling didn't go easy, those were clean cuts, it must have done it in it's death throes.

"Get out of here, _now_," he shouted back to Kagi.

"Not without you!"

"Think about it for a moment, there's no way to get me out of here."

A twang of pain shot through his heart, he was right. "Take these, I doubt I'll have much use of them." Kagi looked up, and was hit by a set of dog tags. He recognized the name, Keller Barton, his tour was done next week, and someone always seems to die right before they can leave.

He looked into his eyes a moment; they were fierce, ready for whatever to happen. Bright light poured into the opening door, flames licked the walls, but just for a moment.

Kagi looked out, the last room on this wall had exploded; someone used a rocket in these closed quarters. He stepped up to the door for the room just across the hall. It opened as he approached.

Two empty beds, the armors and guns were gone, but there was no damage, no blood, nothing. The occupants had escaped before the true battle begun. Rick and Brandon, they always slacked off. Everyone else was so fatigued the alarm didn't wake them. Keller yelled from his room.

His step into the hall this time wasn't quite the same; he ran right into a Hydralisk, its head veered to him, hissing.  
"Crap!" he shouted, side-stepping to the next room, and pressing into the door. The hydra had trouble turning inside the hallway, but it was able to turn its torso around enough to fire its spines, the door opened.

Kagi grabbed it and shut it behind him, locking it with the side pad, a tearing and churning sound filled the room, he spun on his heel to look for it. Davis was face down on his bed, a zergling ripping his back apart with its scythes. Vincent was on his side in the other, his wall was cracked from what appeared to be an impact.

It was too late for Davis, obviously, but he could do something for Vince, he leapt to the side of the bed, and pushed up with his right leg, planting his left on its back, he threw his weight forward. The 'ling turned its head to find the source of the weight, Kagi entered its vision, and it pulled its right scythe to strike. Bone cracked as his knife pierced through the eye socket, and to that familiar place of its brain, he pressed the hilt down, ripping it through bone of its skull, the brain stuck to a shard of the broken head.

Its right scythe and legs fell, disabled from the nerve damage; the knife flew backwards from the leverage without something to stop it. Kagi grabbed the bloody brain covered chunk of skull, and pulled it off completely, the 'ling went limp. He gathered the knife and cleaned it again, taking a look at the suit holders, both power suits, and one rifle were destroyed on the ground. But one gun was missing, he turned and looked around the room. Its bare metal walls cold and stained, a section of it had bullet holes covering it.

The 'lings body rolled off the side of the bed.

Its left side had a good amount of holes in it. The gun gleamed from behind its corpse. "Success!" He reached over it and grabbed the rifle.

The door shook with an outside force, he spun, a large dent bent it in, a scythe ripped it a new hole. It was too high up to be a zergling, it was the Hydralisk he just ran from.

Hydralisk were a stolen form just like the 'lings, they were originally called Slothin, they lived in hives, and were quite peaceful until they were infested by the Zerg, and their bodies as well altered. Their bottom halves resembled a huge snake, not very long proportionally, it went along the floor tail up about a meter or two, and then went upright, ending at a covered bone, and quite visible rib cage, the chest itself was rather small, about the size of a man's, with two scythe arms coming from its sides, a pouch sits above each shoulder, and its head is between those two. The head was all bone, the lower jaw stuck out further then the upper, and had a space in the center, ending each side with a remarkable larger tooth, the empty place is only an inch or so. The rest of the head is semi-rounded, the same boned socket eyes of the 'ling, and the skull pushed back to form a large shield for its hunched back. The shield is much like that of a triceratops, yet it is all bone and has two small spines at the top. Their main weapons, despite the handy scythes, are its shoulder pouches, where it launches large acidic spines.

Vincent shifted, he was regaining consciousness, 5 spines leaking green acid burst through the wall by the door,causing smoke rose out of the door's side.

Another concussion impact hit the door, throwing it down, some acid burned machinery followed it, the hydra ducked through the door way and made a drool filled hiss.

"Holy trash!" A voice behind Kagi called, the awoken Vincent had called.

Kagi raised his weapon and began firing, bullets first ripped through the Hydra's shoulder pouches, its offensive worth, the right arm as well went limp; it turned on its side, guarding its left, and turning its head to guarding its newly exposed neck.

The rifle's red ammo number caught his eye; it read 23, way too little. He begun to fire the last of his ammo directly at its armored skull, as it charged, slithering side to side in the process. Chips of its head came flying off, the small pieces changed to larger as it pierced deeper. Then blood began to spew out, along with its small amount of flesh within the head, and finally it fell over as the gun reached zero.

He turned to face Vincent as the hydra's body writhed, its tail still trying to slither forward.

"You okay?"

"F... fine, aside from my head, I'm fine," Vincent replied. His face suddenly went pale, and he raised a shaking finger toward the door.

Kagi spun around, expecting another 'ling or something, but the doorway was empty, then something caught his eye, that corpse of the hydra, it was moving. He stepped back and watched it rise, its head was leaning to the side, its neck was undamaged but out of commission. He must have gotten a hit on the brain, just not a lethal one. Its right side was crippled, but that arm was ruined anyway, Kagi dropped his gun, and took out his knife.

One eye moved in its destroyed skull fixated on the dropped gun, it shifted up to look back at Kagi, and straightened its body, so its left arm could more readily be used.

It Hissed.

Kagi let the blade fall in his hand a moment, then grabbed it in an underhanded grip, last he rolled the hilt in his hand, so the flat edge faced out, he raised his arm to a defensive position. The hydra paid this no mind, and charged him, using its tail as an anchor point; it raised its scythe and plunged it down toward Kagi.

Metal and bone clashed, knife on scythe, the flat edge holding it back. He struggled with the hydra a moment, then reached his hand up to the struggling hydra's head, reaching in the hole, and grabbing. A squish sounded the end of the fight, as the hydra fell.

Now it was Vincent's turn to be sick.

"Ugh, how could you do that? Oh yea, the life and death thing..." His stomach tightened, but nothing came up.

"You have any weapons here?" Kagi asked, throwing the rifle aside.

"Um, yea I do," he reached in his drawer and pulled out a P226 . Kagi was gawking.

"How in the nine depths of hell did you get that! That's a bit more then antique!"

"My grandfather owns an old gun shop."

"The armories carry 9mm's but do you have any on you?" asked Kagi.

"Just thefifteen inside it, we'd better get moving, what's going on?" he asked while standing and getting his jacket on.

"How did your grandfather get the 15 round magazine?"

"He did some time in the service, and smuggled them out, that was _his_ gun."

After he stood he hefted the gun and handed it to Kagi. "You've always been the better shot." And with that they walked out.

"Well I have no idea what's happening either, aside from a Zerg attack," Kagi informed him. Vince nodded. Kagi pressed against the west side of the barracks wall, and looked around its corner into the main hall to see if anything was between the first and second halls... nothing.

They stepped closer to the north side of the east hall. A shriek of tearing metal sounded from one room, the door opened, and a soldier in uniform, but not armor, jumped out backwards, he had two rockets in one hand, and his rifle raised. A rocket fired out, striking an unseen enemy, the two doors at the end opened, five Zerglings and a Hydra stepped out, hissing and screeching. He turned, it was Rich, he looked straight at Kagi for a moment, smiled, and turned.

A rocket flew, Rich threw the extra two at them as well.It hit a zergling, the flames hit Rich, andthe rockets exploded as well, Kagi and Vince jumped into the cross hallway to avoid the weaker flames.They peered back in, all seven were dead.

They grimaced for a moment, and another close explosion reminded them to get away. The door to the outside opened.


	3. Flaming Outpost

I don't own any of this except for the invented characters and their tale. Starcraft is owned by Blizzard

Ch. 3 Flaming outpost

A rush of hot air met them as they passed the threshold. There was a thoroughly destroyed barracks directly across from the newly cut road from their barracks, an Engineering bay wastenmeters north, an armory west of their own barracks, and a factory behind the east barracks. A Science facility was anothertenmeters North of the East barracks, the pride and purpose of their base. Just south of both barracks were supply depots; destroyed or otherwise out of commission, they had six, three on each side. The command center was at the tip of the road,30meters beyond the engineering bay, a sizable group of marines had gathered, 25 or so.

Death was in every sight, Zerglings and Hydralisk were shot down, and men cut down, some with spines pinning their damaged bodies to walls or the ground. Kagi and Vincent noticed a rumbling, they looked back south, the base was built in a U shaped crevice of a large plateau, restricting all ground attacks from coming any direction but south.

Zerglings and Hydralisk were charging the base, 40-50 'lings, 20 or so hydras, all in a big flowing mass.

"Up on the roof," Vincent said unconsciously. Kagi nodded likewise and turned around to face the door.

From the roof there was atwo and one-half metervertical rise to the roof. Kagi jumped up to the door's ledge, Vincent following suite. They pulled themselves up, something moving caught Kagi's eye, but he shrugged it off. He leapt again getting his fingers on top of the roof; Vincent jumped seconds later managing the same. Kagi swung a moment, and kicked his legs up to the roof, they slipped, but on his way back from the momentum he managed to get his right elbow up to join his fingers, from there he managed to get his right knee up and pull himself to its safety.

He turned back to look at Vincent, his sleeves had fallen back a bit, his left forearm was badly bruised, that movement he had seen was its twitching under the pressure, his face was contorted in pain.

"Hold on," Kagi called, as he hunched over and grabbed the near crippled arm, and hauled, he got the elbow up just when the herd of Zerglings arrived, one leapt up from the ground, and bounded off the side of the door. Its forearms grabbedthe door'stop and the hind legs dug into the side of the wall, giving it plenty of jumping power. It managed to get a scythe in Vincent's side as it jumped past.

He merely grunted as it pierced his liver, holding still inside him, as it went into the wall as well. The 'ling didn't expect it to stick so it swung up and slammed into the wall, dazed it reached back on its left scythe to plunge another blow into his back.

A trigger clicked, and the right scythe broke off, causing the 'ling to fall off on his back, smashing against the top of the door, and back into the herd of Zerg.

Vincent pulled the scythe the rest of the way through and used it as a step. As he raised a twang sounded, spines were on their way to intercept them. Kagi gave a desperate tug, pulling them both up, falling on top of each other. Vincent screamed when he fell atop, and Kagi rolled out from under him, looking down he saw an acidic spine was lodged in his calf.

Kagi reached to pull it out, but stalled when he remembered that there were acidic spines, so he grabbed the leg on both sides, and pulled it up a foot or so.Smoke began to rise from the wound, Kagi slammed it down on the roof whichforced the spine to bounce out when it hit the roof. The spine rolled away, Vincent let out a low groan, too quiet of one.

His breathing was slight, sparse, and strained. Kagi lowered his head to talk.

"Hold on, we're right by the engineering bay, I'll go get something for that," he stood and started half-running backwards, "Just hold on a bit longer," Kagi turned around and made his way to the edge of the barracks. Upon reaching it he leapt across the10-meter gap, the planets increased gravity pulled him sharply toward the ground, he had forgotten how strong it was and hardly got his elbows on the edge. Pain shot through his arms, the distance he had fallen, coupled with the increased gravity, nearly pulled both shoulders out of socket.

He leaned forward, putting all his weight directly on the elbows, and pulled a knee up, and used it to get all the way up. A vent, open because they were on a planet, spaced a piece of the roof, he stepped a few times to get there, and jumped straight bodied, and feet first inside.

A vent shattered as he went through the roof to the floor. He was in the marine armory, and so was a Hydralisk. The hydra was advancing on someone in medic armor, cornering the medic.

TheP226 left its pocket holster, and the trigger tightened.

"Get down!" he shouted. The medic turned, the visor was up blocking view.

"Sure," a woman's voice replied. Her legs kicked to the right, she fell on her side using the gravity to drop her as fast as possible. Kagi pulled the trigger, the patch of skull above the hydra's eye flew apart, it reared its head back and stared at Kagi. Another shot blazed fire from its barrel, going through the opposite eye, slithering, it approached. A third shot fired out, and the hydra fell, it went through spinal tissue, the undamaged eye still moved, attempting to focus on its killer, then it dilated and stared into nothing.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Y... yes... what's your name... have... have we met before?"

"Kagi, I don't think so, who are you?"

"New, but never mind that, lets go," she stood, and grabbed a gauss rifle, throwing it to him. He caught it in both arms, throwing the magnum back.

"You take this then," he stepped into an open armor, and started the system, and the heads up display. He called up a heat scan, using the Command Center Comsat sweep. 13 marines were fighting 34 'lings, and 3 hydras, the Hydralisk must have been their original targets. The subterranean scanner was offline however; so buried Zerg could be anywhere.However Vincent was alone, and still warm, still alive, or freshly dead. From the heat level he must be in shock.

The armor itself is easy to confirm as human, with the sections moderately mimicking muscular positions, or just how it is best suited for mobility and armaments. However a few things characterize it. Two gas canisters cover the abdominal section of the suit, and two lights rest beside them on each side, as well as two on the shoulder. Occasional paint and markings are color-coded based on their alliance. Certain ranking officers wear teal.

He looked down at the paint on his suit, it was teal, and this was officer armor. None the less he needed whatever he could get, and this was one of the two left in the room. He droppedfour clips of ammo into his storage slots, andtwo spare rockets, loading a third into the gun. Finally, he snagged a scope and dropped it into the accessory slot of his armor. The medic grabbed a couple of9mm clipsfor her newly acquired pistol, she turned so the black visor looked at him. A silhouetted head seemed to be looking at him.

"I have a friend atop the barracks who need you attention, come on," he pointed his gun to the corner, and launched a rocket, destroying the roofing there.He grabbed a replacement, and jumped up using a shelf.

She joined him a moment later.

"The barracks?" she asked, pointing at the west one.

"Yep, that one," he replied, "you'll have to go alone though," he pointed at her weak rocket pack. She looked at him a moment, then something moved within the visor, she must have nodded. The unnamed woman took a step back and ran to the edge, jumping at its end, the green flames spilled from her pack, extending her jump. She got her hands on the edge, and pulled up easily thanks tothe pack.

Three full minutes passed as he waited for her, after the first he checked the heat reading again, four of the marines had taken refuge in a hall, their personal data showed they were extremely low on ammunition, 60 or so bullets a piece, one had a spare cartridge. All but one hydra was downed, but it was fallen back, avoiding battle, probably so if an air unit appeared they had a chance. Fourteen 'lings still remained, the ground around the entrance to the command center was a blood bath, dead Zerg and marines remains were scattered about.

Kagi clicked a switch on his rifle, switching it off of automatic. The single-shot system used an advanced blowback system and supirior barrel to fire the impaler round with noteworthy precision. However, there was no time for that mechanism at the firing rate of the automatic setting. He quickly snapped the scope into place on his rifle and laid out. He targetted a 'ling that was running for the doorway that the marines had taken refuge in. His finger tightened on the trigger, the shot flew true; taking off its leg and leaving it prone for the marines.

The last hydra spotted the shot and turned to him, its right scythe arm was gone, and part of its head was missing, leaving one eye to watch him, the pouches tensed.

It was about to fire.

He took another shot, this time at the hydra, it hit dirt, uselessly.He shot again after a moment of reload. This time he hit flesh, the jaw flew off and it shook around, no longer aiming at him for the moment, another shot blazed out, striking the snake section just below the ribs, its tail went limp, the spine was struck.

Still it rose again using the left arm as leverage, another shot, and the neck shield's left corner broke off. A volley of spines shot at him, the majority fell short but a few landed around him, none striking their target though. He fired again, the bullet entered soft flesh in its head, not killing it though, the hydra turned around and crawled under a section of the command center to avoid the battle.

He snapped his fingers in disappointment, the metal of the suit making a dull clink. Something shook the roof of the bay, the medic had returned and holding her shoulders was Vincent, alive and without injury. Kagi quickly got up.

"You're alright!"

"Thanks to her," replied Vince as he jerked his thumbat her.

"Lets get you suited up neh?" Kagi told him as he thumbed his own suit. They all jumped back down the rocket hole, Kagi guarded the door, and the medic guarded the hole to make sure they didn't get killed now.

A moment later Vincent was suited up in advanced armor, Kagi's, while officer armor, was built for speed, maneuverability, and advanced HUD features. The medic's however, was a generic power suit.

"So," Kagi began, "just who are you?" he asked.

She hit a button on the side of her helmet; the black visor began to lower. She had auburn hair, with a rather fair complexion, and what appeared to be naturally thin eyebrows, and then it reached her eyes. Kind, caring, beautiful, deep blue eyes met him. Those eyes...


	4. Reunion and Departure

I don't own any of this except for the invented characters and their tale. This is to be a long ongoing story... so every once in a while you'll find an update.

Ch. 4 Reunion and departure

"Elly!" he shouted before it even finished going down, the visor reached her mouth. She had soft rounded features. A nervous smirk was on her face.

"Hey," she said meekly.

"Why didn't you tell me before? Why did you hide yourself?"

"I didn't know how you'd react." Vincent looked between them confusedly.

"Well... neither do I," Kagi trailed off, sliding down the wall to a sitting position, he looked down to avoid her gaze.

"Lets deal with this later huh? We still have to live through this," Vincent reminded them. They nodded; Vincent and Elly turned and walked out. After they left Kagi stood, his eyes red.

"She's back..."

The bay wasn't a big military strategy point, so no Zerg were within. They emerged from it, and viewed the base condition. Kagi pulled his HUD into view.

The marines were dead, their bodies cold; 12 'lings were still on-base, too many.

"We need to consult base," Kagi said, to himself more then them. Something had happened to him, his heart felt cold, the death of all his comrades and that of everyone else had no bearing on him anymore, and he didn't feel sad... Then again, he had to cope, either cope, or die.

"Are you insane? We need to get the hell out of here, forget base," argued Vincent, Kagi had already called up a link on his HUD. A figure half-formed through the static of their siege stricken command center.

"Mar Sara research 3 come in, Mar Sara research 3 come in," the silhouetted image called.

"Mar Sara research 3, Private First Class Kagi here."

"Well there must be a God, someone _is_ there, what's the condition of the base, thermals are showing everyone is dead."

"That's almost right, on base sensors read me and two others as the only survivors." Vincent suddenly jerked to the side and started firing, a 'ling had caught glimpse of them. Kagi raised his own weapon, and Elly pulled hers out.

They started firing and trotting backwards. Kagi and Vincent had both set their guns to full-automatic, they had a fifty foot advantage on the 'lings and were getting some quality shots in. They changed their backwards trot to a sidestepping run, heading to the factory.

They made it up the ramp and closed the door a little more then a second before the 'lings reached it, Elly hit the lock button just in time for a 'ling to slam into the door. They counted about ten kills as the reached an intersection in the hall. Though their HUD's were picking up reinforcements for Zerg reaching the Comsat detection perimeter. But the signal was failing, the Zerg had began to attack the station.

"You two secure three Vulture's I'll get what data we've acquired on the Zerg from the science facility," Kagi instructed them. They took off down one hall wordlessly, and he jogged to save energy down another.

He took this time to call up the HQ's communication he started earlier.

"Mar Sara research 3 come in," the voice was lifeless like she didn't expect an answer anymore.

"Mar Sara research 3 reporting, Private First Class Kagi here, I have a medic, Elhaym, unknown rank, and Private First Class Vincent alive nearby. I'm trying to get to the data in our science facility as of now and they're securing our escape. The base itself isn't possible to salvage without a large reinforcement force," reported Kagi

"Well look who's still alive... you are to evacuate ASAP to the main colony and join their forces, I repeat, abandon research 3 and head to main colony to join their defense force until they can evacuate as well. We are abandoning Mar Sara," this looming figure on his HUD must be joking... abandon Mar Sara, abandon the entire planet? Something must be horribly wrong for such totality.

"Abandoning the planet? ...Confirmed."

He reached the small airlock of the North side used in space, now it was to be his quick exit. Small lights glowed from the pad as he punched in a code, opening the door. It shut behind, and the pressure gauge read equal to outside, opening the other door, he jumped out and dashed for the facility.

Kagi took a similar entrance into the science facility, and made his way down to the main computer. He had to open his hand section of his power suit to place his palm on the panel beside the door into the secure area. It opened and he rushed to the second into the computer area, he palmed this as well and went in.

The armor clicked back into place as he looked up and found two Zerglings tearing at the central computer equipment.

"Damn you to hell!" he shouted and fired his gun, killing one before it knew what was happening, the other charged him but was killed within jumping range. He rushed to rummage through the wreckage of the computer, his HUD lit up with Elhaym's image.

"Kagi we've gotten our hands on three Vultures, one is damaged but Vincent's working on it. A Hydra was guarding it but we were able to dispatch it with a point-blank shot."

"Good I'm..." he hefted a hard drive and pulled out the wires, "I've found the computer's hard drive, I'm heading back to your position, hold on." Kagi stood and ran back down the hall.

* * *

The shutter to the factory was being torn by two 'lings, Vincent was busy finishing the third Vultures minimal repairs. 

That leftElly to defend him, she had already set a spider mine in the hallway so they couldn't be surprised, these new models had friend or foe detections systems. Smart land mines.

The Zerglings breached the shutter door.

Elly's gun raised and she fired three times at the first 'ling to enter, skull chipped off from the first powerful bullet, and blood began to flow from the wound. The second hit flesh, but not its true mark, the third hit home, and the 'ling fell. The second Zergling ran out from behind the second.

She fired twice, hitting one scythe, but merely knocking it to one side. Her second hit just above its eye, destroying part of its skull. It leapt toward her, she kicked her legs out behind her, falling to the ground, an spun to face up.She hit her booster for a little speed toward the 'ling. It passed over her and she fired once into its gut, it hit and slid on the floor. After the impact, it quickly turned around and began its charge again.

Elly fired from her position on the ground and hit its right forearm's shoulder, disabling it, but it had already shifted its weight onto its hind legs and jumped, it was on her before she could hope to fire again. Her gun dropped as she reached forward to catch the scythe arms, she put her right knee up once it landed to hold back its head. The rest of her foot wedged its left forearm back, and her left leg kicked at its stomach wound. It screeched with the pain and its struggling head relaxed a bit, the scythes were held back for the time being. It rushed itself forward with a back legs and broke her grip, one scythe went forward enough cut into her arm.

The blade cut into the chest of her armor and pressed onto it, making its way deeper into the power suit. She grunted trying to hold it back, but her angle of her grip was wrong and it edged deeper, and the tip pressed onto her skin.

Blood spouted from its head and Elly threw the limp body off. Kagi stood in the doorway lowering his rifle.  
"Took you long enough!" she shouted. _Dramatic ass._

"How are the repairs?" Kagi asked ignoring her comment. He set his gun down on one of the operating vultures and crouched to look at Vincent.

Vultures are much like armored motorcycles, two wheeled vehicles that move very fast. As well as having heavy armor, explosive canister weaponry and some were outfitted to hold three spider mines. Their weak point is that the engine and fuel is in back, so a retreating Vulture is easy prey.

* * *

At first Elly had thought that her and Kagi might be able to have something this time, but he ignored her just as easily now. 

"Tch," she sat in one of the good grade Vultures. "Why do I like him anyway?" she stole a glance over at them, Kagi was talking about some of the machinery and whether or not it would hold up on their way to the main colony site.

"A lot of the parts are overused and may break down over the strain," Vincent gestured toward the back where the bulk of the machinery was.

"What of the other two?" Kagi asked.

"Perfect condition, fresh off the line I'd say"

"You two take those," Kagi make a sweeping motion toward the newer Vultures, "I'll ride in this one."

"Are you crazy!" Vincent grabbed the opening of Kagi helmet and pulled him close, Elly strained to hear but could only make out the words 'die' and 'deves...' probably devastate. She had just finished repairing her armor with the medic tools.

Kagi was looking away from Vincent, Elhaym followed his gaze and found nothing there, and Kagi had a shamed look on his face.

"What are you two talking about?" She had one eyebrow raised. They released their grip and turned away red in the face, they looked like 8 year olds caught with dirty magazines.

"Never mind that, lets just uh get going." Kagi quickly got in his damaged Vulture and closed the cockpit.


	5. Escape and Loss

I don't own any of this except for the invented characters and their tale. Starcraft belongs to Blizzard

Ch. 5 Escape and loss

"Damn, I can't believe him, there's no way she still has feelings for me after all this time and how I've been acting. She wouldn't blink if this think blew up with me in it." Still Vincent's words haunted him.

"What would Elly do if you die, I'll go in you place, she'd be utterly devastated if you died, get you ass in one of the good Vultures."

How could she still be in love with me... whatever, its bullshit and we have to get out of here. He started the Vulture and moved it in front of the damaged shutters. Vincent and Elly were in their Vultures and coming up behind him.

"Lets get going!" Vincent sped off; Elly went off immediately after with Kagi beside her but 2meters back.

The roar of their engines caught the Zerg's attention, 'lings and hydras began their best pursuit. Vincent and Elly kept speed with Kagi's damaged bike.Damaged or not, the Zerg without muscular enhancements failed to keep up and turned back to razing the base's remaining installations.

"Mines!" Shouted Kagi across their comm-link. Both the other Vultures sped up in front and dropped a mine, then continued, accelerating just enough to keep up with Kagi before he passed.

The mines burrowed as Kagi passed, and launched back up to ground level immediately, chirped then burst as the bulk of their pursuers reached them. Spider mines are incredibly powerful, and will tear a building's wall down, or kill a small army if it goes off in the right place. The Vultures themselves would have no defense if one somehow went off within, the vulture would be destroyed without a trace and the surrounding units kill or damaged. Six 'lings launched through the air either dead or unable to continue chase, two hydras were included in the casualties.

The last five hydras stopped and fired a volley of spines at the three Vultures, the eight 'lings began to catch up.

Spines rained down upon them, three struck armor and weaponry in Vincent's bike and a last cut off the mine's path out of the Vulture. Elly's caught one in a fuel tank, empting one-third the fuel, but making no spark, and a second struck the unarmed mines, making them useless as well. Kagi's Vulture was struck but once, it hit the top of the back section, acid dripped into the engine, fowling up the already suffering machinery. The bike's propulsion got fouled up, the engine sputtered to a stop; leaving him coasting to a stop.

"Kagi!" Elly shouted across the comm.

"We're coming back for you," Vincent's Vulture began to turn.

"No," Vincent straightened out at Kagi's shout, "keep your asses going or I'll fire on _you_," The fastest 'ling scraped the back of his Vulture. "If you come back for me you'll die too, get to the colony and evacuate with them! And best of l..." He was cut off when a 'ling leapt and struck the top fuel tank, blowing the Vulture into two pieces, the rear of it landed5metersfrom the cockpit.

"Kagi... thank you," the voice couldn't be identified through the haze of pain and static from their growing distance. His senses returned when a ling clawed the canopy of his cockpit.

His hand rested upon the small command HUD of the bike, and an idea sprang up. "Just hold out," he told himself; the second safety lock confirmed off, a scythe went through his canopy. The third and last lock went off as the scythe tore a hole and the zergling thrust its head against the new hole chipping the sides.

A scythe struck through the armor and into Kagi's shoulder, it screeched at him. His finger hit enter as he relaxed against the seat with a smirk across his lips, the zergling stopped with a confused look, three spider mines chirpedfive metersaway...

* * *

Elly had set her Vulture to follow Vincent and was transfixed on her rear cam, half hoping to see Kagi's Vulture advancing on them, or even him waving in the distance. Her heart sank and immediately after a bright light shined back in Kagi's direction. She hit up a satellite image of the area. 

It was an old model of satellite and it only had one picture of the irregularity, the old ones didn't continue to observe without a commander's override. The picture showed their pursuers, two hydras might have lived; all the Zerglings were defiantly gone, as the small parts and limbs that came from the flame weredefinatly dead. The picture cut off on the edge of the flames, the explosion was borderline on two sectors and the satellite didn't take a picture of both sectors.

But there was the unmistakable mass of bent and shattered metal that used to be a Vulture among the 'ling parts.

"What was that flash?" Vincent cut her hypnosis on the picture.

"Damn, Kagi's bike just went up, I'd say allthree mines went off at once..."

"What! One mine is enough to destroy a Vulture, three would... oh Gods, Elhaym, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She cut the link and lay back against the seat. Her hands trembled, her head throbbed, her heart was weighted with lead. Elly's eyes were shut tight but she saw her memories of Kagi, then she recognizeda voice, it was in her helmet.

"...Diagnosis of condition: emotional trauma, Psychiatric level of combat environment dropped to –80 of average conditions. Administering tranquillizer..." Elly felt a prick on her arm, and warmth destroyed the chill of her body, spreading from the prick to her heart, and then her head. Her thoughts cleared and trembling ceased, Kagi became just a name to her.

The effect lasted a grand total of twenty seconds, the old feelings rushed back to her body stronger then ever. A tear began to form in her eye, but the throbbing got worse and worse, her vision blurred and blacked out before the tear could fall.


	6. The New Mission

I don't own any of this except for the invented characters and their tale. Starcraft is owned by Blizzard.

Ch. 6 The new mission

Elly opened her eyes; she was being shook in her Vulture's seat.

"Wake up!" It was Vincent, and behind him, she saw the main colony all around. They had made it.

"V…Vincent?" she straightened up and got out, "Kagi is dead…"she spoke softly to herself. Then a stern look came over her face, "we have to give our report," her voice was cold. She looked untroubled by his death, but her face was pale.

When she was gone he began to follow somberly and spoke under his breath, "he saved our asses at least half a dozen times while we were there, and when he counts on us, we don't do anything, _damn_." Vincent crossed into the command center. His eyes were hot and probably red. "**_Damn,_**" his arm went out involuntarily to the side and hit the steel of the corridor, the wall bent inward, and cracked, as did the knuckles of his suit's armor. Inside his suit his hand started to feel wet, his knuckles were bleeding.

* * *

"Thank you for your report Elhaym, your new orders are to choose ten soldiers from our force here, to make one squad, and two platoons within that squad one led by you, one led by Vincent," As he said that Vincent walked in and stood by Elly. "Fill him in later would you?" 

"Commander," Elly nodded as she replied.

"Your mission is to gather the data from the station, and if any survivors exist, to get them out. You have free reign on tactics and use of force, we will be evacuating the planet soon and won't be gathering anything from the post, its all your decision of what to do. Satellites have confirmed that some buildings are still standing in good condition, and the command center has something growing on it, investigate this as best as you can without compromising the mission." Elly stole a glance at Vincent after noticing some movement, his right hand guard on his armor was open, and he was bandaging bloody knuckles. "It is currently 0412, and our e-vac is expected at 0600, be here by then or we will have to leave you behind, no further rescue missions, we don't have time. Not to mention we expect to need every unit left here. I am giving you both Corporal promotions as of now. Elly you will be issued a gauss rifle to go with the medic suit. That is all, dismissed!"

Elly turned to leave and saw that Vincent was still looking at his hand making a fist with it. "Commander PeBo said to move," she said over her shoulder. His head jerked up as he clicked the hand piece in place, turned and walked out with her. She explained the mission to him on the way out.

* * *

Light poured into the dully-lit barracks when they walked in, and used the in-building intercom to call everyone to attention. 

"Myself, Corporal ranked Vincent, and my partner in an upcoming mission, Corporal Elhaym, need the use of ten soldiers brave, fit, and willing to go to Research Outpost three which was recently besieged by Zerg. We are the only known survivors of that attack, and we are to lead a mission to acquire the station's data, and any survivors other then ourselves. Any who volunteer for this mission step into the halls and present yourselves for us at the entrance, we need ten soldiers and have the use of this barracks to find them." The intercom clicked off, and doors slid open, a dozen soldiers arrived and saluted.

"Sir," The left most soldier in the front row spoke up, "this soldier requests permission to speak." Vincent and Elly look at each other.

"First things first, anyone in our squad will immediately _can_ all those horrible formalities."

"Well then, there are a dozen of us here, which two will be staying behind?" Elly looked across them, as Vincent's gaze went to her. Two had physical things wrong with them that showed they were bad soldiers. One soldier had a black eye, the other of the defective two was merely fidgeting. He would be slow to act and not respond well to unexplained orders.

"You two," she pointed at them, and they shrugged and left. Only one speaking as he walked away.

"Good luck under the command of a woman." Her eyebrow twitched and she fought the impulse throw her sidearm at him.

"Get your weapons and power suits, meet outside the command center in six minutes." With that they left, four minutes later all soldiers were accounted for. "We've requisitioned two Vultures in addition to the two we arrived with, we don't want to stress the base's resources and defenses by assigning each of us one. Three to a Vulture, one inside, one on top of the cockpit, and one more atop the machinery on its rear.

Elly started hearing occasional snide remarks about wanting to ride with her, so she hopped into Vincent's old Vulture, with it's three spine damages, a makeshift repair had been done to the weaponry system. However the mine system was still out, Vincent climbed into the other damaged one, it had a fresh batch of miss colored iron welded into the hole in the fuel tank.

The soldiers filtered out amongst the Vultures and after a bit of sputtering from Vincent's they sped away from their base.

* * *

_Where _am_ I? What is this around me? What is that pain?_ Kagi tried to peer around him, but it was as if he was trapped in a locker, and this thick metal armor wasn't helping… As far as he could see left there was bone and flesh, pulsing ever few seconds. Kagi's left eye screamed in pain if he tried to look right, and this right eye was throbbing and not seeing anything. His left arm seemed broken, and hard to move in whatever this was to the degree it could. Most of the right side of his body felt dead. The churning flesh was very active, the dead parts on his body seemed to be regaining feeling, in excruciating pain however. 

The suit appeared to be missing large portions, as he could feel the oozy flesh directly against him in some places. But since he was feeling less and less of it as time roamed; he concluded it must have been _repairing_ the suit.

An hour passed slowly, but it passed; and his pain subsided. His left arm and ribs felt whole again, and the right half of his body normal. His right eye also regained sight somewhere along the line. Kagi also couldn't feel the gooey wet tissues pulsing directly anymore, so the suit must be in good condition too.

Kagi tested the strength of his imprisonment, trying to lift his arm; it couldn't get through the tough flesh. He struggled with his side store, here it was thin enough to inch towards it; a minute later he held a knife in hand.

Voices began to pierce the skin of his prison, he couldn't tell, however, if they were even human. Steps squished along too, someone was out there… and he was held down. Kagi thrust the knife into his fleshy cocoon getting three inches out the top…

* * *

Their little group has come across the blasted, partial remains of Kagi's vulture. He knew that not only he, but also Elly would want to stop there. So he ordered a halt, they examined the site for a little while. The dusty red stone was blackened around the completely fragmented remains of the vulture. _Gods, it even looked like the front half had simply blasted off before the fireball caught it._ No sign was left of Kagi. His blue trimmed vulture had been turned black. The ruins of his vehicle weren't the only things there though; various Zerg parts were scattered about, smeared with smoke and burns. All that was left was the bone and hardened carapace. The weaker tissues and flesh were burned from existence. Sent into the air that they now were breathing. It made Vincent feel sick, he closed his visor and switched to the _scab_. Self-contained alien atmosphere breathing apparatus, when Elly passed by him, he caught a glimpse of her face. Pained, pale, dark, lifeless; she really did care for him, maybe not love, but something close. _And that prick just goes and dies on her? Some way to treat a lady…_

Vincent was on rear guard, he had held the pole position with Elly for a little while, then they lost the rear guard… then another, and one more. Two others were killed at the time the second guard went down. So to raise moral he, one of the leaders, took the dangerous position.

Upon arriving at the base they ditched the vultures behind a cliff face and crossed a mining tunnel that had gone clear through the cliff. They ended up directly behind the science facility. Six men went in with Elly, she and three others, one with a marred proto-suit; returned. She had the data file.

"_Two objectives left. The C.C., and Kagi."_ She had stopped, her eyes wide. Elly couldn't figure out why she had said 'Kagi' instead of 'survivors.' He _was _dead, right? They came up to the C.C., it was covered in Zerg structural tissues; they entered with Elly and himself at point.

Now his point-man positionhad become the proverbialrear-guard.

Something darted above them. He raised his fist closed, the rustling got the others attention in the flesh vine-lined hallway. They stopped, Elly and her support kept forward watch. Red eyes caught light from the hall's system. He opened fire.

Kyle was facing his way, and Erich turned away from the front to support. Chipping gunshots echoed through the hall, and a 'ling jumped at Erich, his damaged suit couldn't jump from its path. The 'ling had to leap between Vince and Kyle to attack him though and their combined fire cut off its hind side. One scythe was in working order and cleaved through Erich's armor. Elly began firing to the front, Erich screamed, and the Zergling tried to bite through his helmet.

The victim himself finished it off, firing from below it. Vincent slammed into the wall and saw to his horror, two hydras. Rockets fired from both his and Elly's rifles simultaneously; his own scraped the wall before homing in, blasting the hydra apart at the upper tail. Elly's shot destroyed its right scythe arm completely. Erich and Kyle were behind them, not firing, and out of mind.

The first hydra fell from the rocket barrage; the second began to receive a hail of bullets from the gauss rifles. Its ribcage tore open, and the organs inside shredded apart. But death did not come soon enough. After the fatal assault it loosed one volley of spines from its single working pouch. Vincent dodged away, but caught an acid spray on his thigh; poor Erich got one right in the hole the 'ling had made…

They broke for a short while so Elly could patch him up some… the loss of fluids were his biggest problem now, the suits reserves of synthetic blood were used up.

They carried on, and entered the main hall… This room wasn't just covered in vines, and it was _all_ pulsing and alive, the floor had a layer of hardened carapace. From the ceiling dangled chunks of flesh. The walls were pulsing with a thin layer of living tissue, and all around the room, in what used to be bleachers; were things that looked like _living_ pods. Vincent and Elly approached one, knives drawn from their side slots. It was about 1.8 meters long, and ¾ of a meter wide.

Gleaming blades cut into the fleshy cocoon, revealing a man. His body was warped all over; the left arm had a tentacle instead of a hand. A large scythe was forming on his back like a zergling's. And above all else his face was pale and his eyes were a bloody red.

The warped eyes fixed on Vincent, and the mutated man let out a gurgling hiss.

* * *

Kagi braced himself against another explosion. The first had shaken him pretty well. Those things outside the squishy prison were yelling, gunfire from three gauss rifles was unmistakable. The knife he held lashed out and slit along his shoulder. The fleshy containment somehow got his visor to open, and a tube formed in front of his face. It began growing out towards his mouth and nose…

* * *

The first man they freed blasted Kyle apart; the smaller cocoons, soldiers without proto-suits, were mutated and turned into living bombs. The larger were sometimes mutated; they freed three soldiers, two men and a woman. But one of the men was killed by large cocoon's hatching, and the mutant's attack. Erich again caught shrapnel, but it only scared his suit. 

Elly ordered all large cocoons cut opened and the occupants killed if there showed mutation. _All_ small cocoons were to be exterminated before even being opened. Elly was about to carve out a smaller cocoon when she saw one that was partially opened. It was a larger one along the shoulder.

Then it caught her eye, a bit of teal trim was showing. It began to convulse and fight; Elly hefted her high-density knife and slit it down the side. She ripped it open to reveal an officer's suit. The visor was raised and a tube was stuck to the occupants face. Kagi's face.

Small strips of flesh attached it to his face; her blade cut it off an inch from his face. A moment later creep started to flood out of it and onto the floor.

"E…Elly!"

"Kagi! You're alive!" Her face was a look of joy. "We have to get out of here! Can you move?"

He groaned as he stood, but simply appeared stiff. "Why are you here?"

"PeBo ordered us to get the base's data, and look for survivors."

Vincent's gauss ran out on the last cocoon, but he had remembered to grab a couple of clips. After reloading they assessed what they had.

Plenty of ammo, and eight soldiers, all that they had left of their original group were Elly, Vincent, and Erich. Now they had recovered Kagi, and four others.

The group of troops quickly made its way back out; and to the vultures, this time two to a Vulture. Kagi opened a link to Elly's.

"H…hey um… I'm sorry about all this."

"Don't worry about, I was happy to help. How _did_ you live through the blast though? …I saw the site."

"I don't know, the vulture got broken in half but I still should have died. I think I sort of did… but the Zerg put me in that thing, and the parts that felt dead began to wake up."


	7. Rushed Departure

I don't own any of this except for the invented characters and their tale. Starcraft is owned by Blizzard

Ch. 7 Rushed Departure

Four Vultures pulled up to the rear of Mar Sara Colony. Transports were on-site and loading civilians. But the color… it was the trim for the Sons of Korhal.

"Now I see…" Vincent said under his breath, they had gotten out of the Vultures and making their way to the transport.

"Why are we trusting _them_?" One of the rescued men said aghast.

Kagi turned to him, "We never completed the star port, and our original transports were called away." Gunfire was echoing from the base northeast.

"_Hey!" _Someone shouted. "Look! It's the troops, they're here to protect us!"

"Wha…" Kagi began, only to get cut off.

"Guard those civilians, its an order, their craft will rendezvous with the main craft that's coming to pick us up." It was the commander.

"Sir!" He replied crisply into the comm.

"Are you here to protect us?" One of the men in line took their silence as a bad thing.

Elly started at his voice, and then lowered her visor. "Yes," She looked completely innocent of all warfare, "we'll keep you all safe." The rest of the makeshift platoon lowered their visors and looked to her for instruction.

"Looks like I'm today's pick… Okay! Kagi and Vincent come with me, we'll guard the people directly. Erich cover the path to our post Northeast of here. You two…" she pointed to two of the rescued soldiers of the science post. "Get atop the buildings to the Southeast. The other two take the Northwest side. The only way in is from the post or through that entrance. We'll give them fire from the front, you will make a kill zone inside."

The fire from the main base picked up a lot. "In position!"

Everyone took off at a sprint to his or her places.

A minute later a dozen 'lings were running along the Southern wall, the two soldiers there opened fire. They turned the corner and got tagged by the Northern troop too, as well as Elly's group. Two charged up the North staircase but were taken apart by the combined fire of all four rooftop sentries. With their deaths the numbers were reduced to five. The rooftop guards started firing on the five as well.

Bullets ricocheted off the boned armor, pieces ripping off. Well placed shots would blow off an entire limb, by the time they reached the ten meter mark from the group two more had be killed or disabled. The remaining three were badly hurt anyway; one was missing a scythe, another was holed all across its body, the last had no tail and its head guard was blown apart.

Kagi and Elly were able to dive away, their suits were relatively quick, and continued firing on the latter two 'lings;dispatching them before they could make another attack. Vincent's suit was more heavily armored though, so instead of diving he raised his arms to guard, the single scythe scraped across the alloy. A shallow scratch was all that it could do before Kagi and Elly finished the 'ling off.

A read-out on their HUD's indicated that more heat sources were coming in, two confirmed as Mutalisk. Kagi estimated that they would arrive first, ETA of two minutes.

"Miss?" A little girl tugged on Elly's arm. Behind her stood a visibly worried mother. She had thin and very light blonde hair reaching past her shoulders. She was probably only seven years old, a really cute little girl.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for protecting us up until now… I wanted to give you something." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a stone, a murky piece of quartz that had grown in a double point. It was probably three inches long. It reminded her of the sapphire she had given Kagi.

"Oh… oh my." She looked to the woman behind her to make sure it was okay, and got a nod with a slight smile.

"Visual contact!" Shouted one of the roof guards.

"Thank you very much." Elly bowed her head to the girl, "I'm glad I was able to help."

The girl smiled broadly and ran off with her mother to board the transport marked '2'. The four roof guards began firing, Elly and the rest turned back to give support. The crystal dropped into an open slot on her leg.

The reading was right, two mutalisk were flying at them. Mutalisk were also a stolen species who's DNA had been incorporated in Zerg larva. After their battle conditioning they had thin but huge wings whose pigment changed with which brood controlled it. The wings attached to its torso at the top, which went down to where most creatures would have a tail. Instead of thinning out it got thicker, and ended in what looked like a mouth, two thick teeth rimmed the circular mouth. A circular and very thick tongue stuck out from the middle. That mouth, though dangerous, wasn't the weapon. It was what shot out of it, a 'glave wurm' that was like a huge 3-point bone shuriken drenched with green acid. Further up the torso was the 'head'. Two thick antennae and the beady eyes of a lobster stuck out.

They back-flapped to kill speed and shot down at the four guards, receiving a hail of fire in the process. The first one attacked lost its wings, since it was behind the roof, if the wings were out of action it couldn't continue fighting. It was able to fire twice before the bullets blew off the wing at the joint all together. The shot bounced off its first target, cutting through the suit entirely and giving the occupant a deep flesh wound. The ricochet cleaved into the suit of the second man but couldn't pierce the armor.

The second shot killed the first soldier outright, cutting him in two. The other ducked but got a section of the armor on his back ripped off entirely. The force sent him sprawling out.

The other mute' got a shot off that dug one point into a soldier on the other side, immobilizing his left arm. That soldier's rocket found its way into the mute's mouth. It blasted apart and the mutalisk fell, cracking its vertebrae on the corner of the building. Luckily for him the support _he_ had was the medic they rescued, she saw to his injury as he reported his visual on the incoming forces.

"You're sure?" Elly said, disbelief, or rather, what she wanted to be disbelief, in her voice.

"Yes… six hydra."

"Get ready!"

"Hold on Corporal. The civilians are aboard, get into transport one and head to the deck to give us support on the air troops." It must have been the transport's pilot. The voice echoed through her helmet.

"You heard the woman! Privates," she directed the comm.-link to the men on the roof. "Close the gates, and board number 1. Erich, it sounds pretty quiet over there…" he then cut her off.

"Not for long, I give us one minute till 'lings swamp us."

"That's fine, they can't hit us airborne, get on." Elly instructed him. The gate closed with a metallic thud, and the three survivors ran toward them. All of them got aboard the passenger transports. They were much larger than the normal transports and couldn't hold combat speed. But they could reach escape velocity in up to 2.0 of gravity.

Kagi was leading the pack up the stairs. Himself, Elly and Vincent; further down were the three from the roof, and just behind them was Erich. They emerged from the proto-suit sized stairs on to the deck. The hydras were struggling with the gate, and about to clear it. 'Lings were approaching but the craft had started lifting off already. But three mutalisk were still approaching. They opened fire on two, bullets lodging themselves into them. Erich and one of the roof guards fired their only rockets. They scored hits, taking off one of its wings before it could enter firing range for its own glave wurm. The other had the base of its throat destroyed, and its bony shuriken fell to the ground. Moments later it joined them on the road. The last one flew over to transport number two. It spat out two glaves and hit with each; tearing into the side of transport one, the other shot cut the covering armor on the cockpit.

"_Crap!_" Elly shouted, her hand lashed out and removed the safety on her rifle. Vincent and Kagi did the same. The three rockets all scored, one nailed its left wing, blowing it off, the other wing was taken off by a shot that hit between the two; scorching its head as well. Their combined power took off enough flesh and bone to drop the right wing. The final darted down in a draft and hit the top of its mouth, sending it into a backward flip.

The mutalisk flipped around and spat out one more glave at the last moment. The huge shuriken targeted at the transport. Elly had already loaded her last rocket and fired it; the smoke formed a winding contrail before the path stabilized.

It was on an intercept course of the glave, and streamed to its target with true aim. The glave was headed for the upper side of the transport.

"Please…" Kagi had hope in his voice.

"One glave can't…" Erich had started. The rocket flew past the glave thirty feet from the transport's hull, sparks spurring from its side where it made contact. The glave wurm hit defying the laws of probability; hitting dead on where the last hit had struck. In the open wound of the cockpit; the entire glave burst into sensitive space, and ricocheted around it until all its kinetic energy was used up.

Their comm.'s were open to all frequencies, and could hear the pilot's screams. Screams of mortal terror accompanied by the bubbly burn of acid on the instruments and people alike; and the cleaving and smashing from the bouncing glave. In short, they were killed horribly, and the transport had no one to fly it. It came crashing to the ground, splitting down the middle from impact. Dozens of zerglings and hydras went in.

Five hundred lives lost all hope in an instant.

Elly's rifle dropped, and clattered to the ground, her face stricken. Kagi looked impassive to the entire situation, Vincent looked away aghast at it. Two of the others were revisited by their breakfast; the others went down the stairs shaking.

Kagi's hand was on Elly's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do." A slight tug didn't budge her even an inch. "Elly…? Elly!" Her vision was gone, her body lost in unfeeling. They had all died, and she couldn't stop it. Her aim had lost their lives. Five _hundred_ were dead. "Dead gods… Vincent, help me! She's going catatonic!"

* * *

While settling Elly into her new bed aboard the battleship she stirred from the unnatural slumber. "Mmhn…" 

Her mind felt clouded and like she was still asleep. Luckily when she opened her eyes the room was dim, and her bleary vision could quickly focus. Something was a messy head of hair… Kagi.

"Morning sunshine." He said blandly.

"You sound like my dad." She countered.

Elhaym tried to sit up but her stiff muscles only managed to prop her on her elbows. Kagi's hand reached out to her forehead and pressed against it.

"No more fever… how are you feelin'?"

"Decent…"

_In other words, terrible, _Kagi thought.

"Shit, the academy was a lot more fun than this don'cha think?"

"Heh," Kagi responded with a smirk, "just a bit." She reached out, her left arm moving unconsciously to the center of her back to support the uneven weight that almost wasn't there; at least battleshipshad somegravity, if only 0.1. The right hand cupped Kagi's cheek.

"I've missed you… did you keep that gift of mine?"

"Almost lost it in the scuffle when my barracks got taken out." Kagi produced the sapphire she had given him more than a year ago. She smiled at him and stood up stretching herself. "Speaking of precious stones… I found this on you when you passed out," from the other pocket he pulled out the double tipped quartz, and joined her standing. "I decided to take care of it since some of the nurses and doctors like to take compensation." Her face however was puzzled for just that moment.

Kagi took her hand and placed it in her palm, the look dissipated, and turned to one of concern. As his hand moved away, her eyes fixated on the lump of silicone in her hand.

"The transport… did the people…"

"No, the Zerg killed them just before some Protoss vessels arrived and cleared the entire planet of life. That happened about three hours ago. But at least we were able to… to-" Kagi was taken aback. Elly was crying, hot tears flowed silently down her face for a moment. Her grip on the crystal turned her knuckles white, then she simply dropped it; it rolled off her hand to land on the bed. Suddenly she dropped to her knees, and fell back to sit on her own heels. Hot tears running silently down her face a moment before she spoke.

"I remember, my shot missed… that little girl, her mother, all the people. They were counting on me and I messed it up. I messed it up so badly it got them all killed!"

Kagi had changed a lot since the morning all this had begun. He didn't yet realize it though, but his value on life, for starters, had diminished greatly. Her sadness over the loss confused him to no end. _She doesn't_ know _these people… so why does their passing make her so sad?_ _So what? We saved five hundred others._

But that was his rational state of mind, another part all together dealt with women, especially those close to him. While he could have argued a guy out of the emotional stupor, he had to _comfort_ her.

"Oh Elly…" He gently rubbed the back of her head. "It'll all be okay, don't worry. Nothing will happen to you, or anyone else here alright?" Her sobs wouldn't quit and he realized what he needed to do. Just listen to her, and hold her.

Comforting arms surrounded her lithe body at the shoulders. Twenty minutes later they had ended up both laying down, their heads on the wrong end of the bed. Her face still just below his chest, her arms tucked under him; now Kagi was propped on one elbow, his other arm holding her. Most of that part of his shirt was soggy with her tears, which had lasted ten minutes. She was still tensed up, but appeared to be suffering dried eyes for the other ten. Now she had relaxed.

"Why didn't anything ever happen with us?" She asked blandly, like she was trying to raise conversation for the hell of it.

"Our careers would have suffered if we had dated, you know that."

"So?" her voice seemed to drip with malice suddenly. "What about now!" her tone changed completely, "we're together, in the same platoon even right? That's what commander PeBo had told me."

"I… I can't though," Kagi tried to explain, but…

"Someone else right?" She laughed once into his stomach and rolled off. "You can leave now." She lay limply with both arms straight out. Her unseen eyes lifeless.

"But I…"

"_Leave!"_ She shouted back.

Kagi somberly stood and made his way to the door. It slid open and he stopped, turning his head just a little. Not even enough for him to see her doorway, "Elly, there's no one but you…" And he was gone. It left her mind grief ridden and confused all over again.

_If its just me, and he care for me, than why doesn't he want us to become more? Damnit! Why is the one perfect guy for me so hard to get. When he loves me too no less!_


	8. Raid

I dont own Starcraft, I own my story. Thats all. Dont sue me because I'm anonymous and not making any money off this anyway.

Ch. 8 Raid

"Corporals, Privates," PeBo nodded to each group. "We are going to try to take a supply cache. OnceRaynor leads an assault on the databank; you will attack and _take_ a supply cache."

Kagi looked around, the only ones here were himself, Vincent, Elly, and nine privates he had never seen before. Elly didn't seem to be paying much attention; she looked toward the floor, a reserved expression on her face.

"We'll handle the transportation there, as for the blueprints… we have none. You're on your own for most of this. We drop you off at the entrance; you penetrate and secure. Any questions?" PeBo looked across the room slowly, making eye contact with each person. "I guess not, okay dismissed until further notice."

* * *

"Why?" Elly had blocked Kagi in the hall.

"Why what?" Kagi replied, colder than he intended.

"Why can't we be together? You say you care about me… so why not?"

"Elly… Everything I love dies, my parents were on the first planet the Protoss decided was unclean. My entire _planet_ was glassed!" Oddly his face showed no sadness, no remorse. It looked like he was telling an old fable from days long past. "Everyone I knew was killed, only me and a handful of my friends survived, we had enlisted and weren't planet-side during the attack. In the academy I had to worry about doing well, not what the girls wanted from me. Then back on the research post… Everyone but Vincent and myself was killed in my Barracks. All the friends I had left from my home, I found their as tattered remains. Those four? Heh, they were from the other barracks, to which I never looked to for friends. All the old buddies, all the new ones; except Vincent." By now Elly's eyes began to water, but Kagi wasn't looking through his eyes, he was seeing into himself, seeing the memories of dead comrades and loved ones.

"And the Dead Gods know, the Zerg tried to take him from me, only a ghost of my past saved his life. Out of everything I've ever held dear to me, you want to know what's left? You, him, a stone, and a picture." Tears were running down her face, but he still didn't see anything but the faces of friends gone by. His heart so frozen to block out the sadness that he didn't truly care about it anymore, "everything dear to me dies; and I won't let you be a casualty of my twisted fate." While he didn't feel the sadness anymore, he still knew he should protect what was left.

"Kagi…" Elly's face was a hoarse whisper.

"Yes, Kagi, _eternal, _thats how this cycle is Elly. Even my name denotes the endless suffering of those close to me." He turned half away from her, and finally looked _out_. His head swiveled to look upon her.

_She's… crying, why though?_ "Elly what's wrong?" His hand reached involuntarily toward her face.

"I'm sorry!" She half-shouted, half croaked. His hand froze in mid-reach, "all those horrible things, you don't deserve such things Kagi." She looked straight as him, her piercing blue eyes cutting into his spirit. Her tears flowed faster than they had in her room the night before. "You've never done anything wrong!"

_I see, she's crying for me, for my loss._ _She is shedding tears for_ me. Her auburn hair danced across her back when she went to hold him. Her sudden grasp left him terror-stricken; his arms slightly out, frozen in place. His eyes were wide and his pupils were pinpoints. After a long moment a wash of relaxation rolled over him quickly. "_Elly_…" The single word held more affection in it than anything he had ever shown to her or anyone before. His arms wrapped shaking around her shoulders, pulling her tightly into him.

She looked up at him, unable to believe it; he looked… _loving_. He was just tall enough that when he looked down, and she did up, their faces were a scant inch away. Caught in the moment Elhaym didn't dare move, thinking he would vanish if she were to move. His head moved down just the slightest bit, Elly rising on her feet automatically despite her immobility.

Their lips touched.

His placed just a little too low to be exactly even. Catching her bottom lip in the valley between his lips. They stood like that in the hall for any peering eyes to see for just a moment…

The intercom clicked on. "Corporals Vincent, Kagi, and Elhaym report to transport 5 immediately. That's Vincent, Kagi, and Elhaym."

Their eyes opened simultaneously and broad smiles crossed their faces despite the kiss. Both broke out laughing like it was the funniest thing they ever heard, but were clutching each other like lovers that would never be together again. This mission just might do that after all.

* * *

Vincent saw Kagi and Elly straggle in last, with a blush across both their faces. He shrugged it off and turned to Commander PeBo. PeBo was addressing a group, which was now a platoon of a dozen. 

"Alright, now that you're all here I will begin the briefing," PeBo paced in front of a large screen. "During the last sortie, we had to request assistance from the Sons of Korhal. The Confederacy is… not happy about this. In fact, we've been labeled as rebels." No one said a word or even fidgeted. They all knew it had to be done.

"So now we owe them one, and will probably be throwing our chips in with theirs. We need to lead two assaults, one against a weapons facility. Another team will carry this out; you troops on the other hand will be capturing a supply ship coming into orbit. Our ship will disable the engines, and you will be the boarding party," a diagram appeared on the screen of the supply ship. PeBo laid out the attack pattern the team was to try to follow.

"Sorry but there is one snag. The ship is only a short distance away, go immediately to the starboard boarding station, you should be in action in ten minutes."

A few mild curses could be heard as the platoon scrambled off to their armor. Kagi met Elly outside her room, mere seconds before she got out. They jogged down the corridor to the boarding station; Vincent was beside them in moments having taken longer to don his heavier suit.

"Good luck Elly."

"Good luck Kagi."

* * *

Three minutes later a klaxon blared out a warning of battle. After some shifting momentum a red light joined the klaxon.

The thick steel door slid open cleanly. All twelve lined up and raced down the corridor.

"Elly stay out of the line of fire as much as you can, you're the medic, not the combatant remember?" Vincent reminded her.

"Right, right," sarcasm dripped in her voice. They stopped at a white steel wall; something was either cutting or burning through on the sides of the tunnel.

It gave way, the tunnel mechanics pulled the cut section toward them a few inches, then sent it into space. With a wisp of air the tunnel fully sealed. Vincent was point man,since he hadthe thickest armor. He charged into the corridor.

Everyone in the group started down the halls, the ship was very utilitarian compared to the battleship they were stationed on. The halls were just wide enough that two men in combat suits could squeeze past, with their backs against the walls that is. Vincent turned right at a four-way corridor and jumped back;impaler roundspierced into his shoulder. The sound of gunfire bounced across all the walls. If it weren't for seeing it happen Kagi would never have been able to identify the source.

Kagi forced an open channel on all twelve suits to stay up.

"Units two through six move over so I can get through," the troops began to move to the orders while he spoke and carried out the forming plan. "Unit two, you will take this side of the hall, stay hidden as best you can. One, you take the center, try to minimize damage, bleeding is bad. I'll take the far side."

Immediately Kagi dove across the four-way hall and pressed against the corner, bullets slamming beside him. Vincent rolled into the middle; the unit behind him turned the corner and opened fire. Kagi and Vincent fired at the same time. Vincent hit one of his two rockets; it went spiraling down the hall to burst behind the small garrison firing on them.

One body was thrown into the hall, blood sprayed from behind the corners.

In that moment Kagi charged down the hall, "one, two, follow me!" He pressed against the far corner and aimed at the close side. Vincent did the opposite; he fired, hitting soft, unarmored flesh. All three jumped into the hall and quickly scanned it.

All the men were injured except the one dead. They quickly surrendered.

It took very little time to make their way to the cockpit and clear it too.

"Hyperion? This is Kagi, we've secured the cockpit. I'm leaving two men here to protect it; the rest of us will secure the weapons cache. We will then reconvene and get the hell out of here."

"Confirmed. God speed."

"Five and six, stay here, and stay frosty."

* * *

The storage module drifted off toward the Hyperion, a shuttle could be seen boosting out to tow it. 

"Alright, all we have to do is get back in one piece and this will be a perfectly successful mission," Kagi led the group at a jog to meet up with units five and six. Just then-

"This is Hyperion, battlecruiser Norad II has been detected on course for our ship. We're closing the boarding tunnel in one minute to leave the area. With or without you."

"Hellfire! Everyone, hurry, no time to waste!" Kagi shouted over the comm.. "Five and six, report."

"We'll be in the ship in thirty seconds, we're fine."

The ten soldiers all ran for the tunnel. Finally, it was in sight. Kagi, Vincent, and Elly held the last spots. The other seven made it in, then bullets matted Elly's armor, she sprawled into the wall beside the tunnel. Vincent was already in, and time was up. Kagi reached for her, but the last two of the new troops under his command grabbed him by the arm as more bullets showered the area.

He struggled and cursed and threatened to kill them himself, but the tunnel closed before he could break free. Elly was still in the ship.

"Damnit all! Elly? Elly?"

Gunshots interrupted her comm. "I'm alive-" a gasp and more shots, "damn, my leg. Kagi, there is nothing either of us can-" The comm.-link cut off with a shriek.

"Elly! _Elly!"_ Kagi collapsed against the cold steel that slowly retracted into the Hyperion. His breath was burning hot, it misted on his visor, tears formed in his eyes.

"Sorry sir but we had to-" The soldier was cut off when Kagi's hard metal glove hit him in the gut. Kagi stormed off.


	9. Aftershock

Starcraft isn't mine, the rights belong to Blizzard, BUT this story is mine. Whee!

Ch. 9 Aftershock

Vincent keyed open the door to his shared bunk with Kagi. The door slid open silently, Kagi was lying on the bed facing the wall. TheCMC-300 armorwas on the ground, along with his boots,his gun had fallen beside the door.

"PeBo just debriefed the rest of us. He said to fill you in," Kagi grunted at Vincent in response.

"First of all," he began, "he apologizes that Elly was… lost. And noted that the weapons cache was recovered. We've just met up with the drop ships that raided the weapons research facility, and are on the way to Antiga Prime. After we arrive we'll get new orders for the next sortie."

Kagi didn't speak, didn't even move.

"I guess I'll… find another room to sleep in tonight." Vincent left his voice open with question, "you want to be alone?"

More silence, Vincent sighed and left.

_Damnit, I hate that we lost her too Kagi. But what can we do about it? If we dwell on this then its going to drive you insane or get you killed. Don't make me lose you too._

Kagi lay in the dark of his room, still in uniform. Vincent's brief visit gave his mind something else to wander on, but it faded in moments as well. All he could think of was Elly; she wouldn't get out of his mind.

He couldn't cry, something was just missing, tears wouldn't come; but he had to just lay there. He thought about it briefly, that he wouldn't sleep tonight, that he would never slip into unconsciousness.

However time proved Kagi wrong, as he lay there, ready to die for failing Elly in such a fierce way, but being too exhausted at the same time to do anything about it; his mind blurred, and sleep came.

* * *

_Elly, he could hear her voice in the distance, no, he couldn't hear it, but he knew it was there. Calling to him, he could _feel _her plea for him to come. He raced down a corridor, a strange gray-white creature appeared before him. Yellow and black armor gleamed in the dull light._

_Out from the gauntlet over his forearms, _hands with three fingers, _a bright blue blade formed. It jumped at him, swinging the blade down at him. He jumped to the side and felt the blade sear into the floor._

_Not even turning around he continued to run down the battlecruiser's hall. As he ran down the endless hall it became dusty, cracked earth. He looked up again to see that he was back on Mar Sara._

_It didn't matter; Elly was still calling to him, becoming more and more insistent. He raced into the science outpost, Zerg were running everywhere, marines in full armor fighting for their lives. Kagi made his way into the Engineering bay he had first found Elly in; it became the weapons transport as he ran._

_Soldiers with grim looks stepped in front of him, Kagi bowled two of them over immediately. Then another stepped out and stopped him. He grappled and tried to get him out of the way. But the soldier held his ground._

"_Out of the way!" he shouted. Elly was just behind the next turn, he could feel it. And he could feel her need even stronger. Kagi beat on the man's chest with his balled fists, finally the man was gone; he raced down the hall and turned it to find Elly. A soldier in proto-armor wearing Confederacy colors was approaching her. As he tried to step into the hall, it closed. The same doors of the tunnel closed her off. He could hear her scream. The ship was shaking violently._

He was shaking, no someone was shaking him; the scream, it wouldn't stop. _Who is screaming?_The scream was his own, his eyes jerked open to see Vincent shaking him.

"Wake your ass _up_!" he was shouting.

"Okay!" Kagi yelled back, "I'm up, I'm up." Kagi rubbed his eyes; they were hot and probably bloodshot. His heart was racing.

"You were having a nightmare. Woke up the whole damned hall with your screaming."

"Sorry about that." Then it struck him, "Vincent, I dream about three times a year, and I haven't had a nightmare for two years," he said looking up to his friend. "I think… that I'm really bothered by something."

Minutes later the silence of the hallway was interrupted again by Kagi shouting at the top of his lungs. "No! I don't need medicine to sleep damnit!" A vague response too quiet to hear followed that. Then- "_Oh blood and death. No! I don't you come near me with that needle! No wait, damnit Vincent I'll kill you for thi- ARGH!"_

* * *

Elly slowly came awake, shifting around in her bed; something was wrong though. The sheets felt a bit too rough… Then it all came back. The battle, her getting left behind; a sharp pain on the back of her head, then it was all black. 

Quickly she looked around her. She was in a cell, no windows, and only a large door. A fluorescent light glowed above her, the bed was short, probably a twin, with a plain white sheet over her. She still had her rumpled uniform on, so she stood and walked the ten by ten cell. At least the toilet and sink were clean.

A gleam caught her eye; a surveillance camera was looking down at her. She sat on the side of the bed and waited. Elly felt around, she had been searched, but all of her uniform was still on, down to the boots and fingerless gloves.

In a few minutes the door clicked, then swung open. A man in fatigues stepped in. Very gruff looking; his face unshaved, hair buzzed, and a general grimey look to it.

"Well there," he closed the door behind him, "you're up. Sons of Korhal wench," he spat the last word.

Elly flinched, "so why not just kill me?"

"You have information and… uses."

"Uses meaning?" The guard approached her.

"Uses like there aren't any women in this place but the occasional prisoners…" He sudden swung his hand and slapped Elly down onto the bed. She struggled against him and her sleep stupor as he pressed his body atop hers.

"Now, now, calm down my sweet little-" the guard's eyes bulged as Elly's shin connected with his groin; she threw him off onto the ground.

"Urgh," she groaned, "disgusting vile pig! And your breath stinks too!"

"You're going to," he quickly jumped to his feet, "pay for that ten-fold."

He dove at her, Elly sidestepped the dive and slammed her elbow onto his back; she felt a rib break under the impact. Quickly Elly grabbed his collar and threw him into the toilet. He fell limp beside it.

The door opened immediately and three guards rushed in. The three of them cornered her and tried restraining her; a boot-clad foot landed in one of their guts, sending his sprawling headfirst into the wall.

Elly spun out of their grips and grabbed one of their elbows with one hand, pulling the arm over her shoulder, then pulled his head down with the other hand. She pulled down.

The guard flipped over her into the other, but the first had gotten back up. He returned the favor by booting her in the back, slamming her into the wall.

The three of the grabbed her by her arms and waist, again restraining her; Elly pushed backward against the guard holding her waist, then back forward, his fingers scraped bloody lines in her side as she broke free. The guard on her left hand only had the sleeve of her uniform, so you quickly jerked it free, rippingthesleevetotally in half in the process. With her left hand free she elbowed him in the diaphram, then gripped the other guard's hand with both of hers and pulled him to the ground. As he hit she came down with her knee on his spine then stood back up.

Spinning in place, Elly made a short kick to the guard behind her, then tried the same with the guard that was holding the remains of her left sleeve. He caught her ankle, so she quickly shifted her weight and used his grip to kick him in the head with her other foot.

The man she hadkneed was getting up; he had caught himself on the sink. Elly grabbed at him, but he caught her wrists and twisted them.

She cursed and threw all her weight against him, the only thing she could think of; luckily she knocked him into the sink and not the wall, putting a vaguely rounded corner into his spine. The man's legs buckled causing him to fall as well. All three were immobile or unconscious at this point.

Elly turned around to step out, but found herself to be facing the guard who had come in first. Anger in his eyes-

"No woman," he specifically spat the word, "is going to knock me out and not regret it!" He dove at her; they collided and fell back onto the sink. Their combined weights and impact broke the sink off, landing it and them atop the guard who had been pushed into it. Elly gasped in pain of having to break a sink off the wall with her back. Dust from the wall and broken ceramics filled the air, she and her attacker coughed as they struggled.

Frigid water poured from the backed up pipes a moment, enough to get them both soggy; he reached to her waist and pulled at the hem of her pants. Elly could hear the threads start to break with each tug; she grabbed him and rolled to the side, sending him into the side of the bed with a painful _crack_!

The dirty man coughed up blood onto her already stained uniform. He tried to gather himself up, but Elly landed her heel into the back of his neck, finally he remained still.

Elly stumbled out the door to find two more guards rushing into the hall. She braced herself.

The first guard dove at her, she jumped aside and heard him make a rolling hit on the ground, the other reached for her, grabbing her right arm at the wrist and trying to get a handful of hair.

After a moment of struggle he got the handful just when she got the toe of her boot into his groin, the man collapsed immediately and looked to be too frail to move. The last guard had gotten up, he swung at Elly, but she ducked; he threw a punch with the other hand landing a blow on her chest. When she staggered back at the pain of it he jumped forward and got his knee in her stomach. Elly fell over to have the man jump on her back holding her down.

"Now now missy, we two know how to treat a lady you see?"

"Bastards!" Elly spat.

"Hold up now, our commander wants to get a look at you, we have a bit more dignity than those four," the other had gotten to one knee.

Elly felt cuffs click around her wrists, then the guard on her back got up and pulled her to her feet. Somehow on the way to their officer's room they started chatting amiably with each other and her. _Takes a big man to get over having their butts kicked by a girl so easily_.

"You aren't too bad in a fight there miss, as much as I hate to admit, I still feel kind of like I'm going to throw up from that kick you gave me…"


	10. Reeducation

I don't own Blizzard or Starcraft, just this tale.

Ch 10: Reeducation

Elhaym sat rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. A dark cold cell surrounding her, no one anywhere nearby, no one was ever anywhere nearby. All she could do was sit and wait. Occasionally food would appear under the door slot. She knew in her mind what this was. Solitary confinement, no light, no noise, nothing at all; nothing to do but wait until they gave up, or she did; and this was easier on them… by quite a bit.

Memories, she still had those. They could strip her of everything they wanted to take from her, her combat-suit included. Even that stone the little girl had given her. _That sweet little girl and her trusting eyes; the admiration in the face of her mother, she could still see them entering the ship waving them off. No… no don't think about them._

The rest of the memories flooded her mind. She had been careful not to think about such things but she messed up. _I failed them, _she thought, _I failed them so badly that they're dead now. What have I done?_ Tears welled up in her eyes and began to flow down her face. _I'm not good enough, so they had to pay for it, them and the other people on that ship. Torn apart by the Zerg; and if it weren't for the Protoss they'd have been infested._ _Worse than death if you ask me, to lose yourself, become just a tool of the Zerg._

Elly's thoughts drifted from subject to subject. Her failures, her internal conflicts, the atrocities committed by the Zerg, Kagi. Yes, Kagi, she thought of him very often.

But her thoughts drifted toward what almost happened to him. The Zerg had almost infested Kagi; what would she have done if they had infested him? That would have been horrible. To look at his face and see that his mind wasn't him anymore. That they had programmed Kagi for _their_ purposes; she couldn't think of anything more horrible than having to kill him herself; in fact, she probably couldn't kill him if it came down to it.

* * *

Three more days passed in solitary, it had been a week since she saw any light, a week since she had _tasted_ her food, a week since she heard someone talk to her or for that matter at all, her voice was the only one she could hear. Punishment for speaking was reduced rations however, that was the only thing they'd told her. She couldn't take it. What did they really want from her then? She was a solider on the low end so far. She couldn't really tell them anything; they were just keeping her here for no reason. _There is a reason_, her mind told her, _no!_ She snapped back. _No reason… none at all_.

* * *

A full week later it finally happened. She lost it. Not outwardly like most people seem to, no. She just stopped moving. Stopped thinking, stopped everything. Food came in the cell at one of the meals; time of day was impossible to tell from inside. Then the next meal came in. Again it went back out empty. The guards were used to it though, prisoners would refuse to eat, but night vision camera was still watching her. 

She didn't move at all. The guard watching it noticed something and kept watching. Yes her eyes were open, but she had stopped blinking. Nothing, no signs of life except for the slight rise and fall of her chest. He clicked on the intercom.

"Commander? Yes about the girl you brought in. She has stopped doing anything. I think she's totally non-responsive. … … Well I suggest checking with the light like usual. That brings them around. ... ... ... of course sir."

The guard flipped on the light to Elly's room. Her pupils finally shrank for the first time in two weeks, however, she didn't move. Didn't blink. Didn't do anything. "Sir, shes non-responsive, its time."

* * *

"I've got some pleasing results about that female SK we brought in." 

"Whats going on with her?"

"Well as you know we had some trouble at first breaking her spirit, and then she was slow on the uptake of the reeducation."

"Of course. We nearly had to scrap the project and have her neurologically resocialized; you insisted we keep at it however?"

"Yes. You see its finally working. She has started running the courses and participating in exercises. Her scores are way above average. I believe she will be and excellent soldier, and if the last battery of education works we could establish her as an agent."

"Good, well then, the next?"

"Actually one last thing. Her personality is rather complicated...and even though she is behind our cause now, and hates her previous allies. Well hell, she isbasically asexual after the anti-companion training. But she still calls out to this 'Kagi' in nightmares. Lots of nightmares."

"Anything significant about him?"

"Nothing on file. Hes a rebel in the Sons of Korhal just like her. Thats all we know."

"Thats fine. Anything else?"

"No; the next captive shows a lot of promise as a demolitionist..."

* * *

Jill made her way briskly down the steel hall of the battle cruiser, contemplating what her next mission could be.They had said a "true test" of her mettle. But nothing more than that. Kind of annoying, but hey; what can you do with these military types right? A soldier's job is to follow whatever orders given. _Even dying, _a small voice reminded her. 

Jill arrived at her commanding officer's door, admiring her new dress-uniform. Up until today she had only been given field uniforms. She hit the buzzer and waited for it to open. In a moment the steel door slid open silently. She entered.

Commander Kruiz stood before her, his powerful form looming over her at the doorway. He flashed a bright smile and welcomed her in.

"Private Jill, I have a special duty for you. The Sons of Korhal are leading an assault force. An assault force that might involve a soldier named Kagi." Kruiz knew that through all her training Jill still recalled this 'Kagi' in dreams. The only way to purge it may be to have him killed.

The name shot through Jill, she couldn't remember the name, and couldn't place who it was even after hearing it. But it was familiar. The commander's words drifted past Jill while she tried to figure out who it was. Her dreams, that was right, Kagi was the person in those dreams. She couldn't remember what happend in them; they were fogged over. Very distant, but... she was happy in them. Thats what she remembered, she was happy in dreams with kagi.

A section of her psyche training kicked in her mind without her realizing it. _Thats right, you were happy, Jill ,he's an enemy like the commander said. You enjoyed killing him,_ it said.

_Right,_ she thought back at her own mind's voice, _he must be important too for me to come up with it all. And the commander seems to want him dead..._

"Jill?" Kruiz asked questioningly.

"Oh, sorry sir, what is it?"

Kruiz sighed, "I want you to try to find Kagi during the attack, he is usually in some kind leadership position, but stays with the foot troops." At least thats what they had gathered from her nocturnal shouting. Part of her military training, which it appears she recieved before the team went rougue, was to identify who was being led by who. Not that hard really. "Jill, report to the armory in field uniform to recieve your combat-suit. Then to the dropship bays, understood?"

"Understood."

* * *

Twelve minutes later Jill was aboard a dropship. 

"Alright, the Sons of Korhal are mobile, but we're cornered them into an installation. They'll have to stop and defend themselves before continuing on. We'll drop you all off and switch to battle mode."

Jill drifted off into sleep until they arrived.

The dropship was packed tight with soldiers. Only one of the other marines was female, the man next to her made some passing comment hitting on her.

"Keep that up and you'll get a bit of friendly fire, _buddy_." All that conditioning left her completely against the male species, and romance. She could work with them, they were people, but anything that had to do with 'love', or more likely in their case, lust, she couldn't stand. And took pleasure in turning them down.

The ship hovered to a stop, the bays opened and all of them rushed out. SCV's had already dropped and were busy getting the buildings established. Most were floating down to land, a few had to be made on-site. But those SCV's were _insane_ with building. A dozen rushed past with minerals bristling from their packs. In days long past huge sections of mineral was dropped onto the installations in case of emergencies. Now they were used in battle as primed and ready resource.

Troops were being suited up in the east, a tank was rolling out of the factory east, and south was the Command Center. That meant that the enemy was north. To echo her thoughts a group of SCV's rocketed past with steel in arm and began throwing together bunkers.

"Soldier!" called out a nearby worker, "we got some new guns in, come over and grab one, we'll convert your old'un."

Jill jogged herself over and swapped rifles. The barrel appeared in better condition, and the mag was a bit larger.

"To all soldiers-" a voice echoed through her helmet, "the enemy is in the northern sector. Their base is being set up as we speak. Now is the time for attack. A platoon of one dozen is to assemble by the bunkers."

Jill was already moving toward it before she realized what she was doing. _Whats wrong with me? Don't I think on my own? _She asked herself. _No, soldiers dont think. You're told what to do and do it, whatever it is. Even dying. _Where had she heard that last line from? Whatever, she was already at the site, others were beside her. A dozen exactly.

"Commence attack," the faceless voice called.

Jill's HUD came to life, a map imposing itself over the terrain, a path highlighted that they were to take. Jill studied it quickly, they would be coming in around the bunker's range, but a squad of marines could be sighted where they were coming in. Tanks were at the bunkers, but they weren't in siege mode; probably not installed.

They arrived without challenge, positioned behind an upraised section of the platform they hadn't been spotted. The man in charge raised two fingers silently. Then pointed then toward the guarding troops. With a yell the group ran out.

Instantly the person beside Jill was torn apart by a rush of hot lead. His right side literally exploding from the force. Her own gun was firing without her thinking, a rocket flew from the under-barrel. It blasted three marines to the ground, but they looked alive.

Jill checked behind her only to see six bodies behind her, shots ripped into her armor but still hadn't hit flesh. Two more down. Jill's gun was jammed! Jammed! Of all the times, the _new_ one jammed! She cursed under her breath but kept running, wielding the rifle like a club. The last of her squad fell in a mess of bloody armor. She had reached the line and swung the weapon down on the first soldier she came to.

The hit threw him over, the marine next to him shouted something through the comm. The face was... familiar.

Suddenly something hit her from behind, she stumbled forward, and was caught in the gut by something. A rocket flew in front of her, at her feet. The blast sent shrapnel into her suit, jabbing and ruining components in the whole front. Air began to leak from her emergency tank; the HUD shut off. The concussion sent her reeling into blackness of unconsciousness before she even hit the ground.

"Fuck! Is she okay? ...told you... rockets. Elly? Are you okay...?

* * *

So I've gotten complaints about killing off my characters... but hey, theres more than one way to kill a person... 


	11. Old Self

I dont own Blizzard or Starcraft, all I have is my story

Ch 11: Old self

"Elly? Elly wake up." It was a familiar voice... But who was Elly? "Damnit... Why'd I think she woke up." Jill stayed motionless. The voice sounded strained, tight. "Elly I'm sorry... It was my fault that you got hurt, it was my fault that you were left behind, and its my fault for that damned rocket. Don't leave me, please, after all this time you've been with me in some way. I can't lose you."

"Sir..."

"Yes nurse?" The voice was dispairing.

"You've been here for two days. Leave, get some sleep alright? I checked, you're in the next operation. You need to be rested or she won't have anyone to come back to."

"I can't leave her. She never abandoned me, and I'll be damned before I leave her alone!"

"This is an order from the hospital staff, get out."

"No."

There was some scuffling afterward someone trying to get the tight-voiced man out of his seat beside her. After a muffled curse the nurse left without a word. Jill felt a hand close around hers. "Just hang in there Elly."

As interesting as everything was, Jill was still in fact battered and sleepy. Without opening her eyes she drifted easily into sleep.

* * *

A voice startled her into awareness, "Kagi," that name! "Come on, lets go, we have a sortie tomarrow. You need sleep." 

"No, I... I'll sleep here if I have to sleep."

Steps to the where the door must have been meant that she and he were alone again. After a bit he laid his head on the side of her bed, his hair spilled onto her arm.

Jill waited again, eventually his breathing was shallow and regular. She risked barely opening one eye, she scanned the room for a camera, still when she couldn't see anything she opened them all the way and looked around.

It was a bare utilitarian type hospital room, the bed and sheets were soft though. Something glimmered to her left, a bit of blue was in the person's hand. Kagi. She reached over and tried to pry apart his fingers, it was a sapphire, but she couldn't get his grip off it.

Kagi himself had light brown hair, it was probably usually shaggy but it was horrible at the moment. A sign that he really had been here for a while. His head was slightly to the side so she bent her head to look at his face. It was one to match his body, which was rather nicely toned. Handsome features, not quite an Adonis, but attractive. Her heart fluttered once before she remembered just how men act. Disgusting creatures.

Then she remembered who Kagi was! _He's the one I'm supposed to take out! Damn, how could I forget? Fine, if I kill him here and then worry about getting away I'll have at least completed my duty._

A butter knife was left from some meal they had served him, she grabbed it, noticing thick, dark bruises across her arm. She held the knife under-handed and slid the gleaming metal under his chin. The steel touched his skin; his eyes shot open. "Elly?" he croaked.

Instantly Jill's hands shot out and held the back of his neck, pressing the blade against his throat. "Who, might I ask, is Elly?" _Confusing moron, why does he think I'm this girl? Probably the person he beats around at home..._

"Y...You are."

"My name is Jill, thank you." She put more pressure with the knife.

"No," the pressure was starting to affect his voice, "you're Elhaym, you got left behind in a raid and I guess captured. Please, you're Elly; you know you are."

_Elly? It seems so familiar, and Kagi too. Maybe... maybe he's..._ Her thoughts began to wander into the dark cloud of her past. _No!_ A voice shouted inside her. A voice... tainted with pain? Dripping with the threat of agony. She winced. The knife faultered.

Kagi knocked it onto the ground, "are you alright?" he asked quickly.

"My... I'm Jill, my name is Jill. I'm from," _Mar Sara_, "Mar Sara. I entered the Confederate military marine corps," _seven months, "_seven months ago. And I... I..." Jill clutched her head. "What is telling me these things. People _don't_ think like this!"

Kagi's hand gripped hers, the warm hand felt comforting. _Vile,_ she thought. Disturbing, not comforting.

"What's wrong? Tell me, I'll help."

"I... a voice keeps talking in my head, its telling me what to say. Automatically."

"They conditioned you? Hellfires, listen, you are Elly understand?"

_Elly sounds so familiar, its... is it me? Someone, its definatly someone. _She thought back to her past, that shrouded past. The dark clouds thats yelled pain back at her. She shivered at it. But continued looking deeper. Partial memories of agony, lashes of bright red pain on her back. Bruises and pain. Thats what her past was now, just pain.

"I can't think, it, my past is just _pain_."

"They linked your concept of past to pain? Damn."

* * *

"Elly you have to fight this alright?" Kagi encouraged from her bedside. 

"I... I can't, don't make me, it hurts," Jill had her hands on her head, holding her throbbing brain.

"Think, you can do it, I know you can!"

Tears began to stream down Jill's face. "I can't," she whispered hoarsely.

_Damn, I know she can, this is Elly, she doesn't give up but... its hurting her so much._ Kagi tightend his grip on her hand, Jill pulled her hand away entirely. _Why am I pushing her like this?_ he thought. Her face was twisted with so much pain _he _hurt, _so I can have her back?_

Thats right, they had finally gotten together right before she was lost. Here she was again, a different person. _Would she really want it this badly? To go through all of this for _me? He could ask her...

"El... Jill," she looked up at him hearing her name, "if you had forgotten someone you loved, would it be worth going through this to remember them?"

"No, I... don't think so." _Not unless I really loved them..._, she thought.

"I see," that left him with one thing to do. "Will you trust me? You've seen what the Confederacy has done to you, and we used to... to be friends."

Jill nodded quickly.

"Which name would you rather me call you by? Elly?" she winced, "or Jill?"

"Jill, _please. _But also, who was I before that happened to me?"

_She must be in really bad condition... _"Jill, you were part of the Confederate army, but they left you, me, and our entire force for dead on a doomed planet overrun with Zerg. So we asked for help, and the Sons of Korhal saved us."

"_Thats a lie!_" she spat.

"What!"

"The Sons of Korhal would never help anyone, those crooked bastards need to be elimanated!"

"Listen to yourself! Do you really believe that?"

"I... don't know? Do I? Something tells me to believe it, and something tells me not to..."

Kagi spent the next seven hours of the night helping Jill through the nightmare of jumbled thoughts and responses in her own mind.

* * *

"Kagi?" 

A nurse had walked in a few minutes after they had finished most of the pressing issues. "Yes nurse?" he croaked hoarsely.

"Kagi," she clicked her tongue, "I told you to get some sleep! I don't want to be operating on your broken ass later!" They had gotten to know eachother during his stay. A rather quick friendship had formed.

"Is it time for me to get moving then?"

"Its time for you to get moving alright, moving out. Get your ass suited up, you're late."

Kagi twisted and spotted the digital clock behind him, she was right, he had seven minutes to suit up and report. "Crap..."

He was out the door, down the hall, and in the soldier's quarters within thirty seconds. He flashed an ID card to his door and scrambled in, grabbing his combat-suit and trying to suit up as fast as he could.

"Man," it was Vincent, already in his gear, "I was about to leave without you. How's Elly?"

"Better," he grunted; closing the casings, "she woke up, but... shes not Elly anymore. She's Jill."

"Jill?" Vincent sounded damned well confused.

"Confederates fucked with her head, she doesn't know who she was, I spent all night getting her loyalties back on our side, maybe she won't hold the nurse up and slit her own throat while we're out there."

The last piece snapped into place, he grabbed his gauss rifle and headed out the door, Vincent on his heels.

"Holy hell, I'm going with you when we get back... ah... if we get back, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," they turned the last corner into the dry-docks, transports had started loading.

"Where the hell have you two been?" An officer shouted.

Vincent smirked at him, "getting us a fine piece of ass, what else?" Kagi couldn't help but let out one stranggled laugh.

"From who? Each other!"

Both started laughing, but the situation and dumb joke made Kagi fall over face first. He couldn't stop laughing, really _couldn't_. Vincent had dragged him to his feet, and he was still doubled over laughing when he realized a tear had dropped onto the face shield. Then another, followed by others. The short airy laughs had turned into slightly higher pitched and more throaty sobs. Vincent got him sat down before he realized that it had changed, he didn't say a word though; the black sun visor had come down, no one could see Kagi's face, and Vincent was the only one to figure out that he wasn't laughing.

"Whats got into him?" one soldier asked?

"Sarge called us gay," Vincent answered immediatly.

"Yeah right," someone else spoke up.

"Ha, yeah, it would make a lot of men happy though!"

"Only us military dogs, and besides, they'd break a lot of hearts."

The banter went on the whole ride about gay, straight, and bi; Vincent and Kagi being the key example.

When they had landed Kagi raised his visor, he looked fine again. A steeled look on his face, ready for the war they were fighting.

"I missed the brief," he asked into Vincent's comm, "busy with E...Jill, fill me in?"

"Right, well we made one of those Psi Emitter things, and theres an Confederate outpost that needs to disappear. Basically we need to clear the way East of here and set it up in their base. Fighting's been going on for a while, we're reinforcements. As far as I understand-" he was cut off by a broadcast comm transmission.

"All new troops andalpha squadreport to point beta, point beta."

They searched their HUD a moment and jogged off.

"Lock and load eh?"

* * *

Alright! Next chapter up, and the one after is on its way. Ha! Prom was this weekend, prom is not my thing, not my thing at all. All the dress up, feel like I'm in a monkey suit. Well anyway, my date and I had fun, and I'm thankful to have said date. She's another author on here, but I dont think I'll disclose who; anyway, Review! E-mail me with suggestions, whatever! Just let me get some feedback to know its being read eh? 


	12. Antiga Prime

I do not own Blizzard or Starcraft, I just like writing about it! Dont sue, I'm not worth it.

Ch 12: Antiga Prime

Antiga Prime, the Sons of Korhal had fled to Antiga after the loss of Mar Sara at the hands of the brutal Zerg and the might of the Protoss. Antiga was a slightly organic world, plants grew, it was a colony planet afterall. People were rebuilding their lives after being shipped off to an unknown world. Now those lives were crashing down.

A great explosion rocked the earth around a supplies depot, the building's structure barely holding together against the force. "All new troops andalpha squadreport to point Beta, point Beta."

"Lock and load eh?" Kagi said to Vincent.

"What about the depot?" Someone asked.

An answer came from Vincent, "thats a siege tank, you greens should tack a big 'do not charge' to it in your minds. Lets get the hell outta here."

The troops assembled at the center exit East side of the base. Fresh bodies were strewn in front of still shimmering barracks. New defenses caught some poor saps off guard.

The same green spoke up, "s..sir, did they really charge defended barracks like that?"

"Neurologically resocialized troops," Kagi answered, "a lot of the confederate squadrons are made up of convicts that have been resocialized into soldiers here. Basically a resocialized troop with a stim will jump off a cliff at their commanding officer's say so."

Kagi knew that the green trooper must have been grimacing at that thought. The group gathered quickly, and the HUD lit up again, this time with the commanding officer's face in the corner. PeBo's.

"Those marked blue proceed to the dropship at the starport, those marked red await instructions."

Vincent turned to Kagi, "Blue right?"

Kagi's face fell, "I'm Red."

"Christ. Watch out, I can't save your ass this time Kagi! Elly'd be pissed at me if you die."

Kagi's voice lost most of its emotion, "yeah."

Vincent shook it off as bad timing and jogged off, the battle was quiet enough that he could hear the servos in his legs struggling to hold up the rest of the suit.

"Red team: you will be leading a frontal attack," a squad of six goliaths stomped up to Red team, "this is a diversionary tactic, when you can't fight anymore, retreat. Buy Blue time, what you'll be trying to do is distract anything that could fire on a dropship. Keep your own hides alive, but if you see a goliath or wraith, _take it down._ Your friend's lives depend on you doing so. We can end this fast if we get the emitter in place. Good luck, Godspeed."

The order to move out hadn't been given yet so they held back for a few minutes. People were getting edgy, a lot of smokes were being passed around, a few prayers were being said. Kagi noticed that the Alpha squad boys that Duke had provided had a good few resocialized troops within it. They just waited.

Three goliaths charged the barracks, C-14 Impaler rounds started ripping the armor apart, a moment later one's leg blew out, sending it to the ground and splintering the cockpit. Three marines had been running behind it, they opened fire for as long as they could before the penetrating rounds of theimpaler spikestore them apart as well. The six goliaths with Red team opened fire and finished off their two counterparts, some marines had let fly rockets on the barracks. Someone yelled within.

A moment later all six marines had been killed, and a SCV showed up and started putting the barracks back together.

"Red team, go."

The whole group jumped to it and ran off. Two dozen marines and six goliaths went rushing off to attack defensive forces. The curious green ended up beside Kagi on the other side of the bridge; two wraiths swept in at low altitude from over a cliff, a group of six marines were waiting at the base of the same cliff. Kagi could see their wide bloodshot eyes already, stims. The green beside him, which the HUD highlighted as Chris, suddenly sighed. Kagi chanced a glance before they entered combat range. A crazed look was on his face. He had used a stim too.

Kagi could remember where the stims were, just under the arm in his armor. _They say it helps in combat. _Both sets of troops loosed rifle-fire, the goliath's autocannons came to life. The missile packs launched at the two wraiths, scoring on them with most of the shots. Kagi aimed up and supported the anti-aircraft fire. The missiles would blow apart sections of armor, blast off weapons, and damage navigations systems. A good shot to the cockpit shield removed enough armor for Kagi's penetrating bullets to score on the pilot, sending him down. A shot flew through Kagi's left arm, shreading some armor off the side.

He dove to the right and slammed onto his right arm, continuously firing at the the remaining marines, two. They were shreaded in moment, sparks and shrapnel flew away from the power-suits along with the fine blood spary.

The firing stopped, Kagi drew himself to his feet. The blood barely stood out against rusty colored stone, an allied soldier that had ben cut in half with a burst laser and well placed bullets was still crawling before he lost consciousness. One more had been killed, and another had stripped off a section of his leg armor to give first aid to his wounded leg.

The tourniquet system had sealed off bloodflow to his leg until he overrode it and dealt with the wound. A moment later he was bristling with stim and ready to go again. _Stim packs..._

"Think they got off a signal?" Chris asked.

"Definatly." Kagi really looked at Chris, he looked young. Very young, did he lie about his age to get into Alpha Squadron?

A lofty sound indicated wraiths coming in from the East, suddenly more marines sprang from behind the cliff, charging with weapons blazing. Kagi rushed through the hail of bullets to cover behind a goliath's leg, he stayed relativly behind it and fired off at the group of marines, eight marines, two firebats had emerged.

People were shrieking in pain behind him while he fired, then launched one of his rockets; it spiraled into the middle of three troops, sending them to the ground, but not dead. His noise cancellers came online to block out the deafening thrust of the goliath's missiles. The spray of bullets tore through armor and diced up troop after troop. Shots got close enough to shread off all the armor on the side of his right arm, superheated air splashed onto his arm from the hole in the armor. A spark caught Kagi's eye as the last foot troop, a firebat, was cut in half at the same time that he sprayed flame over a trooper; the other goliath had fallen in a burst of fire and sparks.

Kagi looked up, a wraith was plummeting to the ground encased in flame, another was still up there. Rifle-fire started to riddle the aircraft along with one more onslaught of hellfire missiles, sending it to the ground as well. Kagi looked around at the group, Chris had been hit, but the armor had protected him, he could only count a dozen men now, and his right arm was badly singed. So badly it was hard to lift the rifle against the pain. _Stims make pain go away..._ _but the addiction is supposed to be impossible to break._

_

* * *

_

Vincent stood at ready behind a team of three ghosts, he and the other four marines were supposed to keep them safe in case of a firefight. Otherwise they were supposed to be the attackers. Clearing a path for the psi-emitter.

The group with the emitter had supposedly gotten stuck in Zerg territory but were heading for the drop point. They had to make sure they didnt hit anything on the way. They had loaded into a combat-dropship, a tight fit for 8 men. A battle was raging beneath them according to the moniters, Kagi's battle.

_A dozen marines... half are gone, and one goliath looks inoperable. Not a good sign. _Vincent picked out Kagi's teal colored armor amungst the reds, _alive still, good._ The dropship had passed over and was decending to a plateau that overlooked the center of the enemy base. They came in low, low enough be under radar, and dropped the troops. The ship's pilots hit some commands and rushed to finish what had been started already, covering the ship with an enviromentally similar tarp to mask them. The eight troops rushed out with another tarp in hand.

The ghosts layed out at the edge toward the base, the four marines quickly set up a small covering over the ghosts, including a set of blinds for them to fire from that looked like a stone. They ducked down out of sight behind them. The confusion of the attack Kagi was in seemly distracted the enemy enough to not notice the set up. The ghosts didn't have their usual C-10 rifles, they had the most high-powered sniper rifles in design that could be silenced. All eight men had carried parts, which the ghosts mechanically put together in a minute.

As they laid out and started aiming Vincent knocked his fist by one's head. He turned back with an emotionless glare.

"The attack squad; can't they go back now?"

"Right." The ghost switched his comm to the command line and started reporting their situation as he readied himself. The others were already set and preparing. The rifles starting claiming soldiers at another end of the base a quarter mile away.

* * *

"Return to base, repeat, return to base, all of Red team." 

"You heard him!" Kagi shouted, "head back, now." The squad turned back, some backpedaled a moment, some simply turned and ran, the goliath kept its cockpit and weapons trained behind him, using the auxillary camera in the back to navigate.

Kagi fell in beside Chris again, "how you faring there?"

"Goo---d," he replied.

"Watch your dosage alright? That stuff _is_ bad for you."

"So is getting shot."

To punctuate that a team of marines burst up from under enviroment tarps and opened fire on their group. Kagi had loaded his other rocket, and let it fly. Four stopped firing immediatly, one may have been killed. A dozen, he counted a dozen. Two more rockets flew from his side of the battle, three came from the opposing side. The goliath was torn apart.

_Damn._ Kagi and Chris both started sidestepping right, the shots flying past where they had been standing. Weak hits and shrapnel pelted their power-suits. Chris screamed, Kagi caught sight of bloodspray coming from his right shoulder, rage burst within. "He's too young for this damnit!" Before he could charge forward like he wanted to something nailed him in the back and lurched him forward, just in time for a hail of rifle-fire to go over his head.

Falling into a crouch, Kagi matted the one who had fired on him. Three left over there, and a good amount of fire was still coming from his side. Chris had gone down on his knee, the suit was having trouble keeping him up without a lot of help from him, and he was in bad shape; his shoulder had been shot through, so he couldn't use his gun, his oxygen tank was on the front of that model, and the entire front had been cut up from flame and shrapnel.

Kagi could see one of the last two, as the third had just been cut down, aim at the disabled Chris; he knew it. The servos struggled to follow Kagi's fast movements, he dashed toward Chris, but Chris was two meters behind him. Badly aimed Impaler bullets peppered the field from the orange bedecked marine, they started to focus toward Chris.

With a leap Kagi got in front of Chris, he could feel the tearing thuds and shrieks of the bullets starting to bite into his reinforced armor. Only the fact that his was high-class saved him while knocking Chris down; while the others mowed down the last marines. Kagi rolled off Chris and looked at the green troop.

The stim was wearing out of his system and pain was in control of his face. His entire front and some of his back would be bruised, his shoulder was sealed up by the suit, but Kagi couldn't tell if the morphine had worked or even been injected; and he looked tired. The tanks of oxygen were used to enrich the air and provide more energy for the troops, but his were burst, and the atmosphere was rather thin on the planet to begin with. Kagi tried to stand but yelped and fell over, another surviving squad member rushed over.

"You done got cut up Corporal, I think the back of your suits too bent up for you to stand."

With an obvious effort he got to his feet, hunched forward, and slowly straightened. His bruised back set painfully into a jutted metallic back.

"Blood and death, we're almost back right?"

Another came to stand beside the group, "dat be right, you rready to go?" Kagi questioned the accent a moment, soldiers came from everywhere, and the initial colony vessels had people from all nationalities.

Kagi tried to heft his rifle, but found that his right arm was too painful to do so. _No more enemies, Dead Gods please, no enemies._

As if to echo his thoughts Chris said, "Sweet Mary Mother of God, lets get the hell back."

Kagi nodded and helped the other two to get Chris to his feet. He and the newbie limped back to base.

* * *

After a quick repair job to his suit, getting out of the suit and asking someone still doped up on morphine to punch the wad of neosteel out of the way, Kagi waited at the Starport, a slightly ragged looking dropship flew in. 

It set down rather harshly, the stablizers seemed to have been damaged, and the hatch opened, out came three ghosts, then five marines. Vincent was already scanning the base visually looking for Kagi, the HUD located him first; he opened a comm line.

"Kagi! You're alright!" He just finished applying sealent to the hole on his, now slightly better, arm.

"Takes more than that to kill me," Kagi stood, the buckled a little, his face burning red with embarassment.

"Ri---ght, well lets get going, the psi-emitter is in place, we need to haul ass out of here. Now."

"The command never came down though...?" Kagi looked really confused.

"You sure? I heard it, couple of minutes ago, we took off and got the shit kicked out of us by a bunker of marines 'cuz our pilot took the wrong path back."

"Crap. I was out of my suit around then, Commander has perfect timing."

They laughed about that and other things young men talk about on the way to the e-vac dropship. Kagi leaning heavily on Vincent.

* * *

_Jill stood at the base of a cliff. A frozen, icy cliff; atop the cliff was a perfect summerscape. Warm, green, sunny, perfect. Down at the base it was a blizzard, a harsh cold blizzard; she had to climb up. Her half-frozen hands could hardly grip anything at all, much less support her weight on icy stone. And the frozen stone only made it harder and harder the longer she held on. _

_Someone was calling to her though, someone was up in the warm summer, beckoning her, she had to go, she had to find out who. She climbed._

_Ice whipped beneath the thin clothes she was wearing, pulling what little heat she had away from her. The blizzard pelted her body with snow and hail, her fingers could harly move, her hair stood on prickly end. It was a miracle she could climb at all. And she had a long way to go. But that voice and figure still called._

_That voice, everytime she heard it a little warmth spread from her core. She could feel it, a warm caress on her frozen hand, a breath of life across her cheek. The frozen stone cut into her fingers, slicing to the numb bones. She only knew because they grew weaker and trailed red over the snow. But it didnt last long. Soon blood wouldnt even flow from her Frost-Bitten, no- Frost-_Mauled_ hands. _

_Finally after and eternity of slipping, sliding, climbing, and cold she was within reach of the top. The figure was silhouetted against the pleasently warm sun. She could feel the heat it radiated from her frosted cliff face. She pushed up and reached- her hand hit something other than rock._

_It was a branch, the branch of a tree in the meadow, warmth shot through her hand, and with it came feeling. She grimaced, her sliced hands hurt very badly. She gripped the branch with her other hand anyway, the same pain shot through it. Her grip waivered._

_"You can beat this. I know you can, you've saved our asses so many times. I can't believe I found you again in the same base as me. You cared about me, more than I ever thought someone would."_

_Her feet were slipping. Just one step away._

_"I wish we could help you through this, but you have to beat it. Its up to you, and if I've ever known you, I know you can beat this- no problem." The voice sounded a little choked. And otherwordly, like it wasnt quite of this world around her. The figure reached out toward her, lightly placing a hand on her cheek. _

_Jill pulled her leg up and stepped forward onto a beautiful meadow, a paradise, and looked to her companion. His face began to show through to her, then another voice spoke._

_"Time to wa_ke up Jill," a hand rested softly on her cheek, Jill looked up into Vincent's face.

"It was you, you're the one that was in my dreams," her voice was distant. Kagi stood behind Vincent. He had just been by her side, while she was shaking and struggling.

"I think," she began, "that I loved you before I changed."

Kagi's tender and brittle grasp of love came crashing to the ground like blown glass.

* * *

Sorry about the lag... I had to skip a week because things got a little hectic, and still are to a certain degree, so what the hell, I made this one a little longer than usual to make up. But I won't be able to spit another out by Saturday, so you'll have to wait until next Saturday, May 7. I'm trying to change my writing style a little too, more descriptive and whatnot, but it'll take some time to really settle in as a habit. Keep the reviews coming! And feel free to throw something at my email, just make sure you put something in the subject that wont be taken as junkmail >.> 


	13. Tarsonis Falls

I dont own Blizzard, nor do I own Starcraft

Ch 13: Tarsonis falls

"How is she doing?" Kagi asked.

"Alright," the military therapist replied, "normally I'd just say to have her resocialized, but-"

"We've been over that," Vincent growled.

"Yes, yes we have, but like I was saying, she wasn't resocialized by the Confederacy, so it should be reversible without that, and Commander PeBo demanded we didn't. Seems to have something against neurological resocialization."

"Would you like us to decide you're too blunt and resocialize you to be vague?"

"Right... well never-the-less, she's coming along. No immediate issues, she should be an effective soldier and can pick her life back up. But her past is still shrouded behind her. And I wouldn't try to get her to remember it. They really did a number on past recollections. They hurt."

Jill walked out of room just then, and thanked the doctor. "Thanks for sticking around boys," she gave Vincent a hug, "lets get goin'. See you in two days Mitch," she waved to the doctor.

They walked out of the clean smelling medical section of the Norad II and into the slightly mechanic scented halls. The halls were a little cramped inside, people could pass, but in power-suits it was indisputably one-way. Arrows on the floor indicated which ways those were. The rooms were bigger, but the halls were tiny. More room for more equipment and therefore more defenses overall.

"Noon-time, lets hit the mess hall," Vincent said with a smirk.

"Food huh? I wonder which you like more, food? Or me?" Jill pondered tapping her lip.

"You of course!"

"Unless its chili-cheese fries," Jill said with a grin.

"Yeah, well they don't have any here, so you're in luck."

Kagi shook his head, keeping his mind on the food. Everything was of course nutrient and energy balanced. Less volume and mass meant you could hold more of it. A good amount tasted like old, weather-beaten cardboard. They stepped into a crowded room full of mostly men, most of which were trying to get said weather-beaten cardboard.

* * *

Vincent wrapped his arms around Jill from behind and kissed her cheek, she looked away from Kagi and looked back at him. "Well hello to you too Vince." Kagi sighed and held his tongue, waiting for Jill to turn back around. 

"What was I? Oh right, Jacobson is just too old fashioned you know? Duke doesn't have any problem with same-gender relationships. I mean look around you, not too many people can have a girlfriend, there just aren't that many girls. And I sure as hell dont want a brothel on the battlecruisers." She shuddered at the thought, "its a shame that what's-his-name... Nick got caught with whoever, but he'll just have to be more careful until something gets done about it."

"Yeah I suppose. Poor Nick though, he was damned good in a fight from what I saw back on Antiga. What happened with that? Did another squadron take over that? Did the Confederacy take it?" Kagi questioned.

"You don't know?" Vincent asked. "Protoss came in and sterilized the whole planet."

"But... people were still on it, civilians too," Kagi looked a tad worried.

"Yeah..." Jill sounded a little listless. "The Confederacy isn't inhuman, just misguided. They are people, its horrible that all of those people had to die."

"Wow..."

"Hey, lets cheer up!" Vincent chimed in. "That guy Raynor is onboard, he's seen a bit of action. Maybe he's got some good advice on the Zerg? We'll have to be fighting them eventually right?" Vincent said the last bit with a laugh.

"Good idea sweetie; lets go."

_When did he become sweetie? Its hasn't even been a week yet. I can't believe she loved him even before the accident._

* * *

Jill still had trouble sleeping. Images would play across her subconscious of the person of her past. She would always illuminate him as Vincent, but something didn't seem quite right with that. Still a little bit off... 

Klaxons blared; red light flashed a moment, throwing Jill from her sleep.

"This ship is entering battle with the Tarsonis central defense platform. Teams one through four, six through nine report to dropship bays." The voice repeated it a few times; Jill was in standard uniform by the third announcement and headed down to Kagi's room.

She followed the arrow ways on the floor, people in their armored suits were using the halls now. She arrived and opened the door, finding it unlocked. It slid cleanly back into the wall, she squeaked and turned red.

Kagi was sliding off his bed face-first into the floor, he yelped when he face-planted. The sheets of course came with him, and apparently Kagi slept in the nude; one leg fell wide, the other got caught on the bed frame, leaving him face down with legs spread, one arm pinned under him.

Vincent was up and rubbing his eyes facing the other way, he had tighty-whities on and was putting his under and overshirt on. He heard Jill and turned around, then he cursed, covering the slight bulge in front of his underwear. He kicked Kagi and pointed at the door when his head somehow twisted on the ground.

He saw Jill also and rolled the rest of him off the bed, then sat up. He was leaning forward with an expression of just-woke-up-sleep-stupor, with his legs spread most unmodestly.

She couldn't look away at first, her eyes locked on their two nude and partially nude forms. Then Vincent yelled, "Jill!" she snapped out of it and turned around babbling apologies and telling them to lock the damned door when they're prancing around naked. And that they should be dressed by now anyway.

_Hm... Kagi is pretty impressive._

Kagi just scratched his head, shrugged and finished getting dressed; still too asleep to care much about being revealed to Jill and Vincent at the same time.

Moments later all three were dressed and gathered in the room around the computer system. Jill and Vincent were red-faced still. The system booted up and read out the current situation in full detail; General Duke had a plan to attack the center platform so a group could get through to the surface. The group's size and mission was listed as confidential however.

They sat back, they were group five. No combat today, for now. They still took pistols with them into the halls on their way to the thick glass windows and combat read-out computers. The call had gone out a while ago, and the engines were operating at combat levels; so it must have started.

They arrived and looked out onto the bleak platform, seeing the forces setting up and preparing for combat, a troop of marines were gathering to charge off into their doom not too far away. Kagi and Jill looked out into the combat while Vincent checked out the data.

"Says the other two platforms haven't fully responded yet, that we aren't being taken fully as a threat. Holy h-"

"Look!" Jill shouted, Vincent snapped around to see where she was pointing, the words dying in his throat. The 'smart-glass' earned its use as a nuclear explosion wiped out a section of Delta squadron, very low power nuke that is. The yields that were possible could wipe out the entire platform afterall. The glass of course blocked out the majority of the blinding flash and glow, making everything seem as if night around the bright-white nuclear explosion.

"Can they... do that too?" Kagi asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Jill said simply.

"Oh hell."

They continued to watch the battle unfold, a troop of marines and goliaths charged in after the explosion, the armor had radiation protection in it, so they would be fine so long as it didnt get pierced, then the suit would release what it could along the lines of foam-based anti-radiation covering. The troops were reinforced by a platoon of firebats, which turned the tide of the battle; soon Delta squadron was eradicated from the platform.

All too soon a flight of wraiths came in from Omega, the battlecruiser trembled at the impact of missiles, laser turret fire and goliath hellfires shredded the attack force quickly.

"We should go see how the repairs are going along, they might need help," Vincent suggested.

Jill turned to him, "you're right, lets get moving." They jogged off toward the port side, closer to the engines. They ignored the arrow patterns now, since the marines in armor were off the ship by now, taking the shortest path.

They reached the port side in little time and started making their way toward the engines, since the attacks had hit further back. Then they all stopped and stared. A circular hole was burned in the side of the vacated hall, a low hum emitting from outside the ship. Instantly all of them had a pistol in their hands and pressed against the wall. Kagi motioned for Vincent to follow his movements and Jill to watch their backs.

With a motion of two fingers he and Vincent dashed in front of the hole, it was a boarding tube from a two-seater wraith. The cloaked vehicle barely visible even at such short distance, but the glare of the shining surface gave it away. One of the two were still inside, most likely armed, and the protective cockpit closed. They dove back behind on either sides of the boarding-hole and heard the cockpit come up.

"What's he-"

"He can't leave us here after we've found him, so he's coming for us..." Jill replied coldly.

Vincent motioned Kagi to get down on the floor, lying, and listening to the ever-so-soft footfalls of the approaching pilot. A very muffled voice told that he was communicating with someone as he moved. Vincent moved forward to the edge, Kagi followed on his side, wondering what he had in mind. Then he realized, they were going to take him by surprise.

Kagi motioned silently to Jill, signaling to run down the hallway, loudly. She nodded and took off. He had just said to run, not run for help or cover. _He must just want the sound._

The pilot paused, then sped up his movements, it had worked, he was trying to catch her.The moment he movedfaster,Vincent gave a slight nod. He and Kagi leaned into the tube's view, seeing the unarmored pilot with his light gauss rifle.

The pilot's body showed terror the split second before three bullets errupted from each pistol, each hitting him; putting holes in his right arm, which held the gun, chest, and one found his throat. The pilot fell backwards, the helmet making a loud _crack_ when he hit. Jill stopped and headed back.

She turned to find the black-visored pilot in his last death throe before becoming motionless.

"Dead Gods. If that's a two-seater, there's a good chance that the other is still on-board!" Kagi pulled out his communicator.

"Corporal Kagi to Norad II control, Corporal Kagi to Norad II control."

"Corporal Kagi received, you're off duty, what's the trouble. We _do_ need these lines clear short of an emergency."

"Control, we just found a cloaked wraith that had boarded us, it was two-seat but only the pilot was aboard it. We believe that there may be an agent inside the ship." A moment later a klaxon blared, followed by orders over the intercom.

"Alert, an enemy agent may be aboard the ship, repeat, possible boarding action has been taken against our ship. This is not a drill, find and destroy." The woman was back on his communicator, "thank you for your work, go get'em boys."

As all three dashed off to check the engine areas, Vincent muttered, "anyone else feel like that girls pet after that comment?"

Kagi laughed once, "it isn't that bad!"

The small group made their way single-file through the pipe and appliance covered halls, passing by doors, and scanning down the cross-halls. Straining to hear anything that was out of ordinary during combat. They made it to the fourth engine maintenance door, there was a serviceman slumped bloodily against the wall. Kagi and Vincent instantly took up guard positions, Jill checked the body.

"C-10 canister rifle, heart and esophagus are mashed. He's not coming back." She sounded a little distant, like she might be getting used to seeing such things; then cursed under her breath, "we need to catch that bastard now."

Kagi pulled out his communicator again, "Corporal Kagi to Norad II control, Corporal Kagi to Nor-"

"Yes Kagi?"

"We've got a dead body in front of the Engine four maintainence, C-10 Canister Rifle. Looks like it might be a ghost."

"I'll inform the search parties by communicator as to not warn the ghost."

The communicator slipped back onto his belt. "Alright, Vincent, cover me and Jill, we're checking out the maintainence room."

"Gotcha."

"Ready."

Once he was near the door it scanned his person for tags, they registered him as Corporal level, sliding the door open. "Check that body for their tags too."

The door slid closed behind him, the huge structure that was engine four loomed in front of them. The armed maintenance workers looked up with hands on their side-arms. Everything looked to be in order. "Has this door opened by itself within the last hour?"

The closest worker spoke up, "not-a once soldier, whats the news?" he asked anxiously.

"The intruder is most likely in the engine section, we're checking the rooms." They both made their way back out quickly.

"Nothing?" Vincent asked quickly.

"Nothing at all Vince, lets get moving, engine one." Jill ordered.

The small troop dashed off down the cramped halls, hearing another nuclear explosion outside, reminder that they were still in a warzone. Shocks ran through the ship from further toward the front, more missile attacks, most likely from wraiths.

"That guy didn't have his tags Kagi, that intruder has maintenance clearance." Vincent said grimly. An explosion echoed from engine two. Charges had to have been set, which meant he was elsewhere by now.

"We have to stop him, _now_," Jill said simply. They arrived at the door to engine one, and all three slipped inside. Again bright eyes looked to them.

"Oh God, at least someone is there this time."

"What?" Kagi asked quickly.

"Well," he started, "a minute ago the door just opened and closed real eerie like, ya know?"

All three of the soldiers-on-edge heard a distant shuffle and click from an empty part of the room.

"He's here!" Jill shouted, all three dove to the ground, a heavy strike behind them signified that a round from that C-10 just impaled the wall. Ever the sharpshooter and quick thinker, Jill fired at the puff of smoke in the direction the shot had come from. Blood sprayed from the arm of a ghost, causing the camouflage unit to shudder before working right. More shots rang out from Kagi and Vincent, flooring the intruder.

"If any Gods favor us," Vincent said quietly, "that will _never_ happen again." His head hit the steel floor.

"Don't you know Vince?" Kagi said with a smirk, "the Gods are dead. Otherwise we wouldn't have been shipped to these planets, and the Zerg would never have been born."

* * *

The platform was breeched, allowing the Sons of Korhal to send an attack force to the surface of Tarsonis. Kagi sat alone in an observation deck looking up the battle progress and following along the statistics. Then a headline danced across the screen. 

_Psi-Emitters have been place on the planet surface, a full retreat has been ordered. Zerg are inbound._

_Holy hell,_ Kagi thought, _they set psi-emitters on _Tarsonis?_ They're insane. Thats our capitol world... all those innocent people..._

He rushed off to go tell Vincent and Jill.

After he had checked his own room and found it empty, he arrived at Jill's, the door opened for him when he stepped in front. Then his heart dropped.

* * *

"Hellfires is it hot in here," Jill exclaimed, she got up and pulled off a sweaty jacket and uniform pants; leaving her in a bra and underwear. She and Vincent were going over the Norad II's battle history and some of the data on Zerg in her room. 

He spoke up, "hey sweetie can you do me a massive favor?"

"Sure?" she replied with one eyebrow raised.

"I need a back-massage in the worst way," his voice was genuinely tinted with pain, "can you help me out?"

"Well I'll just call that doctor Butch over here and..." She stopped and laughed at the horrified look on Vincent's face, "I'm kidding! Take off your shirt and shoes, then lay on your stomach."

"Yeah, you know I'd enjoy it too much huh?" Vincent laughed at himself as he pulled off the jacket and undershirt, "I'm serious about my back hurting though, so I can't lean far enough to get the boots off..."

"A subtle hint I see? Big baby," she playfully stuck her tongue out at him and crouched down in front of him to take them off. The door opened.

* * *

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to interrupt!" Kagi's trained voice stayed carefree at the whole situation. Despite the fact that the girl that he had fallen in love with was now on her knees in front of her best friend, with her head leaning over his crotch. 

Right when he turned around however, she looked back also, he would have seen that nothing was going on. But he was looking into the hall, "our troops set psi-emitters, we're leaving Tarsonis space. Sorry about barging in on your, "he couldn't stop his throat from tightening around the last word, making it sound choked, "fun."

He quickly made his retreat to he and Vincent's room. Leaving them both slightly confused, so they shrugged it off and went back to what they were doing, starting with a very good massage.

Kagi stumbled into his room in a daze, not just light-headed; air-headed. And collapsed at the sight of his bed.

* * *

Kagi came-to almost an hour later, discovering that he didn't quite make it to the bed, a large knot on his head told him that he hit the nightstand on his way to the floor. 

He was hit by the memories of what he had just seen a little before. His heart felt like someone was using it as a stress reliever. He scrambled onto his bed and tried to get himself under control.

It didnt work, the pain resounded through him every moment, he looked to the stim packs inside his armor...

* * *

Jill parted ways with Vincent with a kiss; he was going off toward the mess hall. She volunteered to go see if Kagi was still in his room, he needed to eat pretty badly. She opened the door, seeing a flash of movement as Kagi's left hand moved behind his back. His bloodshot and sleep deprived-looking eyes looked guilty. She decided it was best to ignore that. 

"Hey, sorry about earlier, I guess I should have said something since you came to fill us in on everything that's happening. Thank you, now its time to eat though, so lets get going okay?"

"I'm... not hungry."

"You?" she exclaimed dumbfounded, "not hungry? Is there another apocalypse or something?"

Kagi rolled over to face the wall, "just not in the mood." The unused stim dropped silently behind the bed.

Jill's eyebrow rosed, "alright, tell me what's wrong." She went and sat beside him on the bed.

"Lets just say a lot has been happening as of late," his voice quivered a little bit. "I can't really talk about it, alright?"

"Alright, tell me whatever you can, it'll help to get it off your chest. Maybe you can tell me the rest another day. How's that?" She lightly put her hand on his shoulder. His body jerked at her sudden touch, she rested her open palm on his slightly moist shoulder sleeve.

Kagi began to spill out the hurt that he felt, leaving out that she happened to be half of the direct cause of it. Eventually he ended up leaning against her, in her arms as he spoke. She would only listen and speak very little in her soothing voice, and hold him. A severe hit to the masculinity of a soldier, but its what he needed.

The whole ordeal left Kagi exhausted, insomnia obviously catching up to him. She laid him out on his bed and got the shirt off of him, and promised to bring his lunch to him. Then at his prompting, agreed to eat in his room as well.

When she got back, balancing two trays, Kagi was asleep, looking a little content; she decided to just sit and eat beside him, the stuff was just as bland hot as it was cold after all. Half-way through her lunch Vincent came and bid a noisy hello, waking Kagi.

"Hey," Vincent said, "what're you doin' in here? And seriously Kagi, sleep at night man."

He groaned at him and found the tray beside him, he quickly dug into it, his appetite back with a vengance; he flashed a smile at Jill, "thanks."

"Any time Kagi, taking care of you comes naturally I suppose," she laughed to herself. Vincent brought up the info screen again for the combat still going on down planet-side.

He looked grim a moment, "sorry to break the mood, but we got some proll'ems..."

* * *

ALRIGHT! Finally spit that one out, and half of it in one day. Yeah, sorry I've had less time to write than usual needing to spend the free time doing homework and the like. Well anyway, I'll be trying my hardest to get some semblance of a chapter out by this Sunday. Pray for me. Anyway, the chapters are getting longer and therefore take more time to write, and also they're slightly higher quality... I think... well anyway, it all amounts to being longer in the writing process. So I'm trying my best to keep to my schedule. Dont worry, this isnt dying any time soon, and if I do abandon it I'll actually make the footnote say that on my last chapter. Again, dont plan on that. THANKYOU for reading my work! Please review! 

The computer I did this on apparently had a defective spacebar... I think I caught all the errors, if not, email me or something.


	14. Defection

I do not own Blizzard nor do I own Starcraft. Enjoy!

Ch 14: Defection

"I just don't see," Vincent said through a mouthful of corn bread, "why they would send Zerg to Tarsonis to fight the Confederacy for us. I mean, once the Zerg are there, they're there, and we'll be lucky if the Protoss don't burn this world too!"

Kagi took a quick drink of the 'juice', which was flavored water packed with nutrients, "how else are we supposed to win?"

"By fighting them!" Vincent emphasized with is fist. "Think of all the innocents that will be killed through this!"

"Yes but... what if we didnt?" Jill asked, "what if we went down there and fought them for every meter of soil? Both our forces would be decimated, then who could stand up to the Zerg and the Protoss?"

"Yes, but all the innocents wouldn't be killed, if we had to we could enlist all of them to fight," Vincent concluded.

"No, then they would be killed just the same by the same abominations, and we can't train those replacements fast enough, or arm them as well as we can arm what forces we have right now."

Kagi took another bite, checking the area around their table to make sure no officers nor neurologically resocialized troops were close enough to hear.

"Its the lesser evil Vincent, you have to accept this sort of thing in war."

_That doesn't sound like Elly at all, _Kagi thought to himself,_ Elly would be just as furious as Vincent, no, moreso. Whatever they did to her, shes still definatly fighting it. _

"I suppose... but, there must have been something else. Only the future will really show us though, when we look back on this. Someone will find something that would have saved everyone. Like a peace treaty with the confederacy or something," Vincent said it a little sadly.

"Maybe," Kagi replied, "but remember, they want us bad, and don't think we're anything militaristically. They probably don't know that we set those psi-emitters up around Tarsonis."

"I'm just a little worried myself," Jill tried to change the subject, "if Mengsk is willing to sacrifice the largest population of the Terran worlds, what else will he sacrifice?"

"Like us? Or other planets?"

"Yeah."

"Well you see," Kagi had that 'I-have-a-lot-to-say' look, "in my opinion..."

* * *

Now they all sat outside a re-activated Ion Cannon that had been taken from the Confederacy. 

"Vincent," Kagi said, with his glove on his face shield, "tell me why exactly we're here. And _why_ we're up against PeBo and that ex-Marshal Raynor?"

"Because they defected."

"And why did they defect?"

"Because Mengsk sent some troops to their death against the Protoss and Zerg, and left them to rot without e-vac."

"And why are we supporting him!"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Will you boys just be quiet," Jill turned to them, "and concentrate on staying alive. At that moment a nuclear explosion flattened some of Alpha Squadron.

They all grew very somber. Despite the massive difference in troops, Raynor and PeBo were gaining a lot of ground, and laying out anything that got in their path.

"Face it, they've got the moral we wish we had," Vincent said waving his hand at the troops.

"Very true, so what should we do? If they get here do we just get blasted?"

"I'd personally rather not die." Jill said with slight uncare.

Three dropship came out of nowhere to make a fast landing on a southern section of the Ion Cannon's platform, "shit, they're here?" Jill asked questioningly.

One of the dropship came apart with marines scrabbling to get away from the wrekage, they opened fire on the missile turrets nearby before any troops could respond in time. One was clad in teal.

"Get ready!" Kagi shouted to the other two, they were posted at the entrance.

Pillars of flame flew up from the destroyed missile turrets. The marines made their way up out of the divetted darker section of the platform. A squadron of wraiths flew in to the, now turretless, lower section.

"Can we really fight against PeBo? He is... was our commander," Vincent spoke to himself and the other two.

"We might be able to defect. Maybe. But chances are that they will shoot first and ask later... what can we do?" Kagi looked between the two, then a smile crept up Jill's face.

* * *

"Kris, take blue team and clear those two turrets; I'll take red and hit this one, then we pincer the troops above!" 

"Sir!" Kris said with a weak salute, already heading off with the peppy soldiers.

Samuel took the dozen under his command and rushed the next turret on the Ion Cannon's orbital platform. Soon enough, charges were set, and they were standing by while the other team set their second charges. Another few seconds and the smoking craters that were the other two turrets were joined by three fresh pillars of flame.

The two groups moved in on the waiting defense force, abunker held protected troops, three goliaths, three marines and three firebats out of bunkers. The Ion Cannon was a huge monolith in the background, blocking out the capitol of Tarsonis, which was now bathed in flame and creep. Guns blazed in both directions, the troops they were opposing would get injured and fall, or surrender after heavy damages; but Raynor's Raiders would charge until bullets ripped them in half, then fire until they lost consciousness anyway. In no time the unprotected soldiers were dead, rockets tore into the joints of the three goliaths, one pilot was killed by a lucky shot and the other two were quickly captured from their smashed cockpits.

The rest of Red team made a charge at the barracks, the weapons were badly aimed from inside, rather jerky, the soldiers were probably using stim packs. One of the troops were injured and fell to the ground in the charge, the others reached the barracks and hit the ground under the shuttered kill-holes. Samuel signaled to three others to follow him, and the others to support them. The support troops would rise only long enough to fire a few rounds into the barracks before kneeling again to avoid the shots that wizzed over their heads.

Red's leader and his small task force shot open the locks on the barracks door, and rushed it with their shoulders to knock it in, the troopers inside could hardly see that they had lost their advantage beforeC-14 impalers tore them into a gory mess.

The troops reconvened, Kris and Sam, Blue and Red leaders, got orders from commander PeBo; "the enemy forces on the other side of the platform haven't moved yet, they may not know you're there. All thats left to clear now is a missile turret so the air support can get in, then you will support their attack on the approximated forces of eight marines, six goliaths, and a battlecruiser. Go."

PeBo continued to brief them on the situation as the group set the last of the charges for the turret, and prepared for the last assault run, "the battlecruiser isn't showing up as a registered ship so I can't tell you whats onboard it. Leave it to the wraith forces though, the squadron should be able to take it down, attack the goliaths first; as they can fire upon the wraiths easier. Good luck men, I hope to welcome you onto the dropships out of there.

Nineteen were left from the initial twenty-four, two were headed back to the LZ for e-vac due to injuries. Three weren't coming home. "Lets get that bastard Mengsk and show him what Raynor's Raiders can do!" a soldier shouted over his comm-link.

The troops charged off to combat, impaler spikes bit into the cockpits of the goliaths; the last of the rockets blew apart whatever they could make contact with. By the end of the explosive volley only one was still up, two rockets from the opposing marines sailed over their heads, one more found purchase a few feet from some marines; sending them rolling and struggling to some kind of attack position. Red leader's second-in-command was suddenly propelled backward, he could see from his HUD's rear camera that a very powerful rifle had been used to blow a hole in his chest.

"Ghosts!" he shouted over the comm, he kneeled to continue firing on the still very dangerous marines and hit a button on his belt, "command! We need a sensor sweep ASAP North of our position. We have been fired on by cloaked units, please assist."

"No can do, an attack just disabled th-" a wave of static and much shouting, "I'm needed elsewhere, please make do!"

Sam cursed. The last enemy marines were being taken apart when the squad of wraiths flew over and met the lumbering battlecruiser head-on. Sam searched frantically for the warped appearance of a ghost anywhere nearby. A soldier in Blue team called out, blood sprayed from his shoulder in the same way Sam's second had his chest hit. Another shot just bearly missed Kris. The respective teams looked to their leaders in horror while above them missiles and lasers cut into battlecruiser and wraith alike. Then something he really didn't count on, he could see the thrusters of more wraiths coming from the enemy base to support the cruiser. Too many for the wraiths, his men would have to support.

Then something _no_ one had counted on. Or would dare count on. Two ghosts fell to the ground with their cloaking systems flickering off behind their prone bodies were marines in Mengsk's colors.

"Hold fire... wait for them to engage!" he called out to his and Kris' troops.

The wraiths arrived and launched a volley at their allies, "hit those aircraft!"

Red and Blue team collectively fire up at the attacking craft, Sam kept his eye on the three new arrivals. They seemed to speak to eachother, one pointed to the fray of aircraft, two rockets fired from the two battle-dressed soldiers. The one in medic garb rushed toward Red and Blue teams. He let her(?) approach, watching to see where the rockets hit. A slow moving enemy wraith lost its burst laser and stabilizers, another hit from an allied wraith sent it spiraling.

The two marines headed toward Sam's company, one was in command armor, the other looked even more heavy-duty than normal marines. The medic was kneeling beside an injured soldier, and moments later he was up and continuing to fire on the wraiths. A short time of battle later, the battlecruiser crashed to the ground in a mess of flame. The wraiths circled and entered a patrol formation, Sam and Kris forced a link with Mengsk's strange soldiers.

"Who are you and why did you help us?"

"Corporals Kagi, Vincent, and Jill. Sending ID codes now... ... ... sorry guys, we missed the defection party, hope we're still welcome." Sam couldn't tell from here which of the men were speaking, the medic was in fact a woman.

"Command?" Kris had taken the initiative to contact base.

"Command here, things are back under control, but the comsat still isn't online, and-"

"Its alright, we don't need the sweep anymore. We've got three defectors here wanting to join up. Permission? Here are the ID's."

"Hey, these are some of Commander PeBo's flagged personnel, I've been instructed to give them benefit of the doubt until we can check them personally at base. Keep them under watch and bring them straight to the command center upon return."

"Understood." Kris turned to the small group, "welcome aboard, now lets take down that cannon!"

* * *

Nineteen marines arrived via dropship at the base, a very electrically charged fire was bursting in what was left of the Ion Cannon facility. Samuel and Kris kept their rifles at ready on Kagi, Vincent, and Jill. 

They were taken immediatly to the command center, disarmed, and taken to see the commander.

His room was very utilitarian, no plush anything, no luxuries that his own troops didn't get. His hands were sliding over his keyboard and monitors very quickly. They stood at attention for a minute or two before he looked at them.

"Thank you for waiting," he stood and motioned to armor accommodating seats on either side of his desk. In a few seconds five of the six chairs were occupied.

"Ah, Kagi, Vincent, and E...Jill. Its good to see you again. You've been here since the beginning, really defying the odds to stay alive aren't you?"

"Just reporting for duty sir."

* * *

Alright, I'm getting a bit more regular with all this. So we'll see what effect summer vacation has on it! Thanks for reading, Review please! Woo, finals. This'll be interesting. Then I'm taking around four Advanced Placement courses next year. Yes. I will be killed. Then hung. Then shot. And only after then shall I be kicked in the shins whilst down. YAY! 

Sharpshooter- I've never actually seen Enemy at the Gates (was that the title?) I looked it up and I think I'll have to give it a look. Thanks for your continued support. If you weren't posting all these comments I just might have given up. But hell, at least I have one fan.


	15. Bedridden

I do not own Starcraft, nor do I own Blizzard.

Ch 15: Bedridden

"Get that _away_ from me!" Kagi's voice was shouting from his room. Jill looked on as a woman, a doctor, came scrabbling out of the door, followed by a pillow being used as an anti-medicine missile.

"But sir-" thedoctor poked her head back into the doorway, "you're sick, this medicine will help you feel much bet- _meep!_" She ducked again, a syringe flew out the door and stuck into the pillow.

"No, no shots, no medicine, I'll be fine now just... ow... _ow."_

Jill looked into the room, Kagi was on his back in the bed, holding his forehead with a pained look on his face.

"Dead Gods, _that_ is a headache," he cracked an eyelid and spotted her. "Hello, hope you dont mind if I dont stand."

"Ha ha," she said drolly, "what the hell happened to you?"

"Sick. I've got a fever and sore throat, and im nauseous, and whatever the hell else comes along."

"Like your head?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said, finally removing his hand, "kinda thinking about stopping my heart, it only hurts when its beating."

That got a smirk out of her; Vincent however was nowhere to be found.

"Now where's my boyfriend?"

"Getting me lunch, if I eat it."

"Wonderful." She looked on at him, he seemed a little pathetic there; but still alert, his eyes would dart to whatever made a loud sound even in his debilitated state. _Poor guy, and he seems to be phobic of doctors too. Maybe..._ "would you like me to play nursemaid 'till you're better?"

"You would? Because I really need someone here that won't try to stick a needle in me while I'm trying to sleep," hope filled his eyes at having a competent caretaker that wouldn't, in fact, stick a needle in him.

"Sure-"

"Lunch is served master," Vincent walked in, his voice held a little irony in it.

Kagi smirked, "thank you Jeeves, you may have the day off."

"Very good sir," he continued the charade and even held his arm out after putting down the plate, miming a towel over his arm. "And vould madàm like anyzing az vell?" he said with some strange accent, bowing to Jill.

"Be a good Cabana-boy and fetch mistress a drink."

"Very good!" he trotted off obediantly.

He was gone for a few moments, Kagi and Jill simply looking at eachother with the most serious looks on their faces. Then the corner of Kagi's cheek rose, and they both started cackling laughter.

A second later Kagi winced and held his trobbing skull again, Jill rushed over to see if he was alright.

* * *

Vincent was doing drills, Jill had been designated 'nurse' for Kagi, who was currently asleep in his bed. Jill looked at his prone form, a layer of sweat forming on his forehead. 

A whimper escaped Kagi's lips, his body shook a little bit; Jill leaned in closer to him, trying to hear what he was mouthing.

"No mother... I dont want to wear the peanut butter undies... make dad do it."

Jill's eyebrow crept up, _great, hes having dreams._

A few minutes later he was struggling again, whimpering more loudly. Jill watched as he seemed to writhe in his bed; she got worried and leaned in, hearing what he must have been saying in the dream.

* * *

_A cold desolate wasteland of crisp, dry muck stretched as far as the eye could see._

_"Get away from Elly you sick freak!" he shouted. A Zergling was perched on the torso of Elly's armor; it made a shrill call at him, and turned its scythes toward her._

_Kagi's gun unleashed a torrent of impaler spikes, rending flesh and limb from the Zergling, its dead carcass hitting the ground behind Elly. She stood, the armor gone, only the uniform left. "Elly, you're alright!" Kagi's armor was gone as well, the gun disappeared; he rushed over to her and held her in his arms._

_Elly pushed him off, "who _are_ you? And what do you want with me?"_

_"But Elly..."_

_"I'm Jill now."_

_"You loved me-"_

_"I love Vincent." He was instantly standing beside her, Kagi tried to move closer, but they both slid away. He panicked and tried to run to them, they both slid away, metal bay-doors closed in front of him, he looked around. Inside the Norad II again, he could tell from the closeness of the machinery and tightness of the hall. _

_He knew this ship well however, and knew how to get around a simple bulkhead. Kagi dashed back down the hall, deftly turning corners and running past doors that he could remember oh-so-well. He found himself face to face with another bulkhead, then another, and another. One way left inside._

_Kagi scrabbled to a higher deck, and went feet first into a trash chute, sliding down the slick grime and catching himself at the next floor down, he pushed the chute out and fell into a meadow._

_Dandelions covered the field, at the other side was Elly again, looking out into the sky. He approached her calmly, walking and catching his breath. The air had a slight cold sting to it, the sun's light felt quite warm against the breeze._

_Kagi came up next to her, she looked away from what held her gaze and looked back at him. He was peering into the sky, at what she must have been looking at, but found nothing. A soft smile came across Elly's lips, yes, it was in fact Elly. The smile, the look in her eyes; it was her._

_"What is it?" he asked softly._

_Elly looked grim, she turned and looked back into the sky, Terran craft fired missiles at the huge, gruesome Zerg overlords and mutalisk. Huge crab-things, and gigantic winged, armored caterpillars that spit purple slime back. Slime the ate ships to nothing in seconds. Small beasts crashed into ships, blasting themselves and the ship apart at the same time. Hundreds upon hundreds, contact and explosion. The lightning Protoss ships darted in and out of the fray, blue energies searing what it touched; black and white anti-matter leaving blank holes in whatever it touched. Their blue bursts of explosive energy joined the flames of the terran and spattering guts of the Zerg in the air combat. The battle was approaching the small meadow._

_The sky above the combat turned a foul red and black, transports of all three races touched down constantly, the ground battles soon erupted as well, the land receeded and died as the battle grew ever closer. A tide of death approached Kagi and Elly._

_"If..." she began to say, "if we ever get separated, how can we find eachother? What if we don't _know_ eachother?"_

"Elly. If we're ever lost-"_ his words echoed into the real world as well. "_I'll be waiting for you here. You can find me, here."_ His hand found hers, the fingers entwining; "_and now matter what. I'll always know you. Even if you don't know you."_ Elly smiled and squeezed his hand. The battle arrived at their meadow._

_Troops in marine armor, firebat armor, ghost uniform, and anything else imaginable charged past them at the invaders, Protoss had stopped firing on the Terrans and turned their sights on the Zerg. Kagi and Elly were in their armors, their hands released eachother to be encased in neo-steel._

_A powerful handgun in one of Elly's hands, the devastatingC-14 rifle in Kagi's; they began to run into the skirmish. "Watch my back, and I'll watch yours!" Vincent was beside Kagi as well. He couldn't help but be overly glad to see him there as well, backing them both up. They rushed into the fight._

_The land died beneath their feet, the sky turned an angry red, debris and flames rained down upon them from the battle raging above. Most of the noise was being cancelled out by Kagi's helmet, but nothing could block those screams... The rifle began to claim the lives of the Zerg, the horrible hoard that charged the Terran and Protoss, which were now fighting hand-in-hand._

_The blue-white blades took apart the zerg as bullets tore them to pieces, but it wasn't enough. For every Zerg that fell two took its place. The sky was bathed in flame as every Terran and Protoss ship fell apart. Blood was everywhere; the Zerg airborne flew over, in control of the skies. The crab-like Guardians rained acid upon the ground forces. _

_Terran and Protoss ground troops were being cut down, even as the battle raged, huge organ-like Zerg structures began to rise into the air; showing their confidence._

_Gigantic elephant-like creatures were on the battle field as well. Only their tusks were long, curved razors. The beasts were larger than any land animal, and those wicked tusks went from its head to near the ground, and were so curved theywere almost round. A single swipe would cut a man in half, and those beasts were living up to it._

_Vincent charged at one, Kagi saw in horror as he was split in half at the waist, two 'lings jumped on his chest to finish what was left. _

"Vincent!_" Kagi shouted, he turned to see Elly get skewered by acid-laced spines, her last breath gurgling in pain as green-tainted blood spilled from her mouth._

_Two blue-bleeding Protoss died beside him from spines piercing the shields. His armor was spotted with spines, still smoldering, with cuts from zerglings, and a melted spot where acid has splashed upon him; Vincent lay torn apart in two pieces, Elly's face was still a mask of agony in her death._

_"Psycho-analysis: emotional distress, battle capability lowered 40, recommend administering Stim."_

_He ignored it, seeing Elly in the corner of his eye; she would never agree with it... would have never agreed with it. A zergling came out of nowhere to slam into his chest, throwing him back onto the ground. His rifle flew from his hands. The 'ling sat on his chest and screamed while its scythes dug into his chest plate, the scraping of neo-steel on bone echoed into this suit. He couldn't roll over, he couldn't throw it off... he couldn't resist. All he could do was shake and try to move. He shouted constant curses, falling back on his military experience to keep the line flowing with new ones. _

_Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, the realm of battle that he was in burned away like paper._

Kagi's eyes shot open, he sprung up like tightly wound coil and could only hear screaming. Shouting of a man nearing death... his screaming. He stopped, panting and gasping for air; he threw back the much-too-hot blankets and put his hand over his eyes.

Jill sat beside him, her hand still on his shoulder, her voice veryworried, "Kagi, are you alright! What was it? You're spooked, really spooked." _Well this time he has boxers on, _Jill wasn't too sure if she was disappointed or relieved.

"Just," a dry swallow, "a bad dream, just a bad dream, I'm alright. Just... Dead Gods its hot in here."

"Its sixty five, you're just sweating in your dream. What was it?"

"I... you were there, and Vincent. Fighting against-" Kagi let out an exclaimation and held his throbbing head, he laid back immediatly from Jill forcing him down.

Jill shushed him, "tell me about it when you're better okay? Hold on, I'll get you some new sheets, those are soaked. And some water."

"But I'm not thirst-"

"And. Some. Water."

"Alright... just," he looked up at her eyes, "I'm glad you're okay," he gripped her hand with his own, "I'm just glad you and Vincent are okay." He laid back and closed his eyes, still short of breath.

Jill hurried out to get those sheets and water. Kagi was totally oblivious to her leaving, saying one last thing, "you have to stay alive Elly. You have to."

* * *

Kagi finally recovered, and was back on his feet, in fact, he was back in training practice; and waiting to find out where they were headed next. Last he heard, Raynor and PeBo were still discussing the situation and options. Mengsk had apparently coronated himself as emporer of the Terran Dominion, based out of Korhal.

* * *

Well, theres the next one. This is my finals week! Then its all over at last, for like two weeks -- taking English 4 over summer to get out of it senior year! Argh, well anyway. Enjoy! Review! You know the drill, thank you for reading. 


	16. Combat and Windows

Starcraft is owned by Blizzard, not me

Combat and Windows

Raynor had taken some form of command with the troops, and was speaking over all the intercoms and appeared on the monitors.

"We may have to stay out of combat for a while boys, and I can't let you start to get sloppy; so we're going to run combat practice drills. You should have all recieved new troop assignments? Alpha and Bravo report to deck C's main hall."

The comm clicked off and Raynor vanished, replaced by whatever had been on the screens before. Kagi, Vincent, and Jill looked to eachother, smiles broke out on the boys' faces; Jill rolled her eyes.

They quickly made their way to deck C and where they were told to gather. Raynor was waiting for them, he stood silently until all of Alpha and Bravo were present.

"Alright, those of you familiar with the ship know that this cargo elevator leads to the upper hull of the ship, I've had some of the engineers get busy with debris and build me a little structure up there-" He motioned them into the elevator and followed after the last one was in. "We're going into an armory, and beyond that is a combat zone, the programmers have put in a little overtime with the surplus combat suits, the HUDs display a special readout on your health, linked up to the modified rifles," he hit the 'up' button, jerking the platform to life. "the rifles fire paint shells, which will register as wounds to the suit, which compensates accordingly. If you get shot in the leg, your leg will lock up how the wound would disable you. And after you're wounded, you will slowly lock up, simulating blood loss, be careful. The teams are Alpha and Bravo respectivly," the elevator came to a half, "suit up quickly troops, medics are still medics, now, that means you have thirty-five marines, ten firebats, and five medics to each team. Medics- you have to apply the instrument to the 'wound' for a designated amount of time, as well as wash off the paint. Nothing will happen with dead troops. Firebats and marines have had their rockets removed, you only get the gun. And firebats, yours will be paint based as well, but a close spray, slightly extended application is required to kill or injure. For now you only get human targets here, but we just may be up against that kind. The techiesare working on Zerg and Protoss robotic opponents."

Everyone was assembled by their Alpha and Bravo designation. Kagi, Vincent, and Jill stood beside eachother. "Move!" Raynor directed them out of the armory, the doors slid open to reveal their combat practice area. A place that they would become very familiar with. A slight mist filled the air, there were many obstacles set up, rock and a little dirt made up the territory. A 'jungle' was set up port and aft. Starboard and fore was what looked like an installation, without a ceiling. It all looked imposing, like it had been made out of old ships and asteroids, but thats what it was right?Space debris.

"Alpha! Fore! Bravo! Aft!" Raynor shouted so loudly over the comms that their ears rang. The two sets of troops scattered to opposite ends of the field, Raynor stayed at that spot, it was the highest point the in field, to observe.

* * *

Most of Alpha team carried themselves back into the armory with an air of success, most of Bravo straggled in grumpily. That is most, exceptions went either way, most of them being Alphas and Bravos discussing the skirmish. 

"Not bad Alpha," Raynor stepped out from nowhere, "who set up that kill-zone so early?"

"Jameson," piped Daniels.

"Lance Corporal Jameson, your success has been noted. Keep up the good work. Corporal Vincent, that was some nice shooting as well, your kill tally was six, two others injured. Private First Class Keyes as well,four kills, six injuries." The men around those three gave them slaps on the back as the removed their armor. "Dismissed,I'll be calling Charlie and Delta up here shortly."

All the troopers made their way back down the elevator and into the ship.

"Score!" Vincent shouted, "see that? Six kills!"

"Heh yeah," Kagi replied, "not bad at all Vince."

"Aren't you the lucky girl," he said winking to Jill. She silently rolled her eyes, he sped off in front of them. "See you two later!"

After he was out of earshot: "stuck up a little bit?" Jill said to Kagi.

"A tad, but he kinda deserves some respect for that. It was a really good performance."

"Yeah but knowing him, he'll get his head shot off first thing next practice."

"True, but at least he didn't get a leg wound in the first two minutes."

"Oh haha," Jill said before sticking her tongue out at him mockingly.

"Oh damn, Jill, what time do you have?" Kagi held up two naked wrists.

"1423," she held her watch up for him to see. He grabbed her arm with a smirk.

"Follow me!" they dashed off toward the starboard side of the ship.

"Where are we going!" she called to him confusedly.

He turned and grinned at her while he ran with her in tow, "we're docking at a station for supplies before the new government can take enough hold to label us as rebels. It orbits a fertile world, don't you want to see?"

"Yeah! That would be wonderful, but the few observation windows are always cramped."

He laughed and continued to rush them both down a deck and further to starboard. Finally they arrived panting at a well polished window of very thick translucent material. No one was nearby, and a faint blue-green glow came from the window.

"No one?" she turned to Kagi with a questioning look on her face.

"This one was damaged in the last battle, it was repaired earlier today. Looks like not too many people check to logs. Front row neh?"

Jill strode to the three meter wide window, "its... beautiful; come here!"

Kagi jogged up beside her, and peered out into the void of space. The edge of the space station could be seen from the bottom of the window, most of it was taken up by the planet. A soft glow reflected from the surface, blue and green dominated the view. White clouds were almost freeze-framed to them, except for a hurricane in the middle of an ocean. It was about half blue, half green, and all alive. They drank it in, seeing how the stars and space seemed to wrap around the massive sphere.

Jill climbed onto the narrow ledge that the window was set in, and sat against it, looking out onto the world. Suddenly very aware of what they were fighting for against the Zerg. Kagi climbed up beside her, they both leaned against the wall and stared out for a long time in silence.

Finally Kagi broke it, "beautiful. Absolutly beautiful."

"It is."

Finally the adrenaline left them from combat practice, Jill slumped against the wall more; Kagi put his hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked just before they both yawned.

"Mmm..." she looked back at him, "you're being commandeered as a pillow," she said withand extreamly serious and stern look. "Hold still." She cracked a smile as her head thumped hard on his chest, then slid it onto his shoulder, he could feel her muscles loosen as she relaxed. The hand on her shoulder slid around her neck, and they watched the planet slowly rotate in all its glory.

Soon Jill's breath grew more even as she drifted to sleep, Kagi just sat staring out the window into the abyss of space, and at the wonderful scene of the planet.

* * *

_It was the frozen wasteland again. The cold, cold cliff. It had changed slightly from the first one. She knew that it wouldn't end until that figure took her hand, Vincent. But above her was a very vauge figure. It reminded Jill of herself, but there was... something different about it. The cold sank into her flesh- she had to climb._

_It went on just as long as ever. Her weak, numb fingers stuck in the position to hold onto the ledge, her bare feet slipped around as she tried unsuccessfully to get at some of her foot-holds. The ice and snow turned red as her blood flowed from the cuts all over her hands and feet._

_Higher and higher, soon the blood would freeze as soon as it touched the ice. Her body turning over to total numbness, she realized that she would be so far into frost-bite that they'd have to cut her hands off long ago if it were real. Finally she could see the top though._

_The snow and ice whipped around her body, the cold biting through every seam of her uniform. Her hand reached the top, she elatedly pulled up, too quickly however, and slipped down two meters before she caught herself. Blood quickly oozed from her hands and feet, all the skin had been pulled off._

_A moment later she was at the top again, again, totally exhausted, one foothold away. Again._

_She looked up expectantly for the silhouette of Vincent. A pressence was behind her though, she whipped her head around to see the figure behind her... the figure with hardly any form, and could see a radiant light flowing from it. Its etheral hand reached out and pointed where the figure had always stood._

_Jill looked back to the silhouette. A little light from the figure shined upon it, the sun's light did nothing to illuminate him at all. However, that dim glow gave it a little bit of form. It reminded her... she squinted to make it out, as he took her hand; feeling the warmth rush through her body..._

_

* * *

_

Jill awoke with a start, the ship had started to move again, Kagi was breathing softly behind her, asleep. The planet slowly slid out of view, just as it vanished from her sight, the commander came over the comm-

"Decks 1-3 have been fully repaired, and repressurized. They are now safe for habitation, and are no long off limits."

Kagi awoke half way through the announcement, and listened to the repeat of it. Jill turned her head to the side to look at his face. He seemed to be stareing off at the ceiling while listening to the announcement. Kagi turned back to her after it was done and smiled broadly.

"Have a good rest?"

"Yeah I..." she could see a vauge resemblence to him and... something... in her mind. What was it?

"Huh?"

"Oh, yeah, I needed it. Finally had a moment to relax," she laughed lightly.

They disentangled themselves and went back toward their quarters. As they parted to go to their rooms Jill peeked back over her shoulder to see him step into his room. _Where is he so familiar from? Where?_

* * *

Wow. It has been a while hasn't it? School ended so I couldn't slack off and write instead of do homework, and then my hard drive got a bit too old for its own good and died. Yes, it died. Fun stuff huh? Well the new one is in as of this week. As of like two days ago. And here I am! Back writing. Although I have to admit that I only wrote this time to get my mind off of a rather big problem that just arose. A problem of which I'm the cause of. Fun isn't it? Ahh kill me now. Next chapter coming up soon...I hope. 


	17. Char

Starcraft is owned by Blizzard, I dont even have any shares of it ; (

Char

"Doctor, she still hasn't regained any memory."

"Then whoever did this was very good at their job. It should only take more time."

"You don't understand, its not just taking time, its not happening."

"Look, she might need a trigger for it, she may be blocking them for her own good. I can't say."

"What if she was neurologically resocialized?"

"I don't believe she was resocialized. But if she was... she will not be coming back."

"What can we do then?"

"If she was resocialized? Get used to her like this. You've seen what happens with the other troopers."

* * *

"Alpha and Bravo, combat-dress and report to the transport bays immediatly." It was the Commander's voice over the intercom system. Kagi and Vincent downed their entire meal in about twenty seconds while walking toward the tray turn-in. Then they were off back for their room, and their armors. 

Jill however was already in her room, and quickly outfit. She headed for their room, _got to make sure those two idiots get up and going._

They had just gotten into the hall when Jill came around the corner, one called over to her, "lets get going! Don't want to miss out right?"

Jill cracked a smile, "got some Zerg heads to bust, am I right?"

The same one spoke, she recognized it this time, Kagi, "thats what I hear, we're orbiting Char right now, big Zerg population. No news yet on what exactly we're going in for."

"Yeah,"Vincent continued, "must be a good reason and everything. Whatever it is, a lot of the guys are just aching for the chance to break those heads."

"And a lot are scared to death,"Jill noted.

By that time they had gotten to a deck-change port and were on their way to the transport's deck. After a moment in the hallway, they arrived at the steel door which led to the transports, it slid open for them.

Inside the massive space, Alpha and Bravo were congregating, as well as a few of the more anxious Charlies trying to get into the fray, "we need you for reinforcements if something goes wrong."

The three friends fell in with some other Alphas to get into the transport "thunderbird." All in all it took about ten minutes to get inside and into place, within thirty minutes the transport lifted off along with its bretheren.

* * *

Jill made her way into the main hall of the command center they had hastily set up. "Jill!" It was the Commander, "I'm needed on the battlecruiser so I'm turning active command over to Raynor. But since we're in a very hazardous combat situation he needs some body guards, I'd like to assign five soldiers to guard him, one of them a medic. I hear you're pretty good with a gun?" 

"Damn right, er... sir."

The Commander laughed lightly, "well then, you're that medic, now I just need four soldiers," he turned to Raynor about ten meters away.

"Sir?" Jill spoke up, "if I may?"

"Yes?"

"I have a suggestion on those soldiers."

"Lets hear it then."

"Corporals Kagi and Vincent have shown themselves to be very resourceful in the past, PFC Erich was also very effective in battle. And I believe that Corporal Jameson has shown to be quick witted as well, but Lance Corporal Keyes has held a very good kill record in the training."

Raynor laughed heartily, "well PeBo, looks like she took care of that whole situation hm? We'll assign all but Erich, he is still aboard the ship, he was assigned to Charlie. Jill, are you familiar with the comm system on your HUD?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, call those four over here will you? You are to stick by me where ever I go, you have my clearence while with me."

Jill had already hit up the comm lines for all four of them and spoke into her reciever, "hey boys, you have new duty, get over to my position, we're guarding Raynor."

"-that we do?" Raynor was now talking to the Commander.

"Thats up to you right now Raynor, you're the one who had the psychic visions am I right? We're in your hands. Now I need to get back aboard the Battlecruiser. Stay in contact."

PeBo quickly made his way back out of the command center, and to the battlecruiser.

Raynor was making some hastey commands until the rest of the group arrived, then he turned his attention to them again.

"You're bodyguards, plain and simple, pay attention to whats going on, all our lives may depend on any one of you. Now do your job!"

Raynor began to make his way out of the command center and onto a good vantage point to cross his tactical data with visual. The group turned within itself.

Jill decided to get some talking going, "so boys, how does it look?"

Jameson responded, "not good, far as I can tell, this woman, Lt Kerrigan, was captured and infested. Well, not just infested, super-infested. Shes one of them now, and mutated into something a bit more careful than what you normally see. Girl is all decked out in bone and what not. Scary looking lady."

"The commander said something about Raynor having psychic visions... maybe that Kerrigan person was the one sending them? She was a ghost right?" Jill continued.

"Right," Vincent confirmed her.

"Well, she showed up on our southern post with a group of Zerg," Jameson was speaking again, "something we wouldn't normally have much trouble with. But it was different this time, the things were horrific. They fought so hard... with such a bloodlust. Hellfire, we didn't have any chance, they took us apart. Me and a couple others held the starport long enough to get out in a transport, after that... nothing is left over there. Except... well, we have to look out for the infested. You don't want to tangle with that Kerrigan lady either, she took apart three marines at the same time, while they fired on her. Insane."

The other four grimaced. The sound of gunfire filled the air to the South. "Whats going on?" Keyes questioned. Jill headed off toward Raynor for a moment and ran back.

"Small issue guys, Zerg landed on the south end, they're headed here. Get ready, the others may not be able to hold them off."

Moments later Zerglings came bounding around a mass of rocks, the marines in the area were all prepared though and opened fire, as did Raynor's bodyguards. Fifteen pissed marines and six goliaths make a damned good defense force, the 'lings could hardly make any progress before they were picked apart.

As the last fell, hydras began to reinforce them, their spines began to fill the air. Again, C-14 impaler and auto cannon rounds tore at them, the beasts' numbers quickly dwindled. However, the spines began to dot the surrounding area and killed off two marines, three others were hit. The hydras reached a line of marines and sent them running the other way, however, they were faster and cut down three more uninjured men before they could be put down.

Mutalisk and more hydralisk appeared and charged toward the men, missiles, spines, bullets, and wurms exchanged fire heatedly. The Zerg were too powerful, the base's defenders were murdered outright, "Captain Raynor!" Kagi shouted, "we have to get the hell out of here. Now!"

Raynor looked back toward them and acknowledged. Spines dotted around them, getting close enough to scrape on some of their armor. "Jameson!"Raynor shouted, "you're on rear-guard, the rest- firing retreat to the CC."

Jameson turned and kept watch of their backs, everyone else turned and fired at the incoming Zerg. The concentrated fire tore apart the hydralisk's bodies. Acid spines found their way into Jameson's shoulder, Vincent's leg, as well as Keyes'. The group crossed the threshold into the command center and lined up to a defensive form. A hail of gunfire shredded what was left of the hydralisk, Jill removed the spines, treated wounds, and sealed up the damaged suits. Mutalisk surrounded the command center.

Kagi, Vincent, and Jameson darted out of the doorway and quickly launched their only rockets, two scored contact, one proved fatal. The three of them fired on the other wounded and brought it down in no time. The other three had taken notice and approached.

Acid slathered, boney shuriken came flying toward the small assault force, they dove and continued to fire, Raynor came out from the doorway and fired his own rocket. The shot flew true and downed another mutalisk, their combined gunfire brought another to the ground before a second volley could be launched. The last mutalisk spat another wurm at the group, it cleaved into Vincent's chest plate, the thick armor was just enough to dampen it so the blade couldn't pierce his sternum.

The small group of four quickly dispatched the last mutalisk. Jill rushed out to treat Vincent while Raynor got back on the comm with the rest of the force.

"Bad news group. The western side is being hit as well. Another Zerg force is on its way from the south, we've lost this battle. Time to get out of here, follow me, I've got some vultures that we could use to get to a safe LZ." Raynor headed toward the back of the command center from memory. As the last of the group came through the doorway they could hear Zerg screams close. Raynor hit some buttons on a nearby pad, and all the entry points closed tightly.

"Raynor," Keyes addressed him, "sir, how many of us are left?"

"We're it. The command center had a skeleton crew, and they've already abandoned. Everyone is most likely dead."

There was no more talking on the way to the vulture storage.

Within a minute, the group could hear Zerg inside the facility, and even had to dispatch two zerglings on the way. They arrived to the vultures and found that the damaged ones were mixed in with the operative. "Find a working bike for yourself and fuel it up, hurry!"

Jill found one immediatly and called to Raynor, "sir, this one works, hurry, you're the priority."

The others continued to search, three other bikes were found, Raynor's and one other were fueled when Zerg appeared. The four marines fired on a wave of zerglings through the small corridor. The outer shutters however were quiet.

Impaler spikes created a bloodbath, zerglings were charging over many dead bodies to get to the terrans. Hydralisk also filed into the corridor and launched spines toward the small group of defenders. Jameson went down with a gurgley scream. A spine sticking out from his throat, already dead. Jill manuvered behind the remaining three and gave combat-treatment as spines or the occational scythes found purchase.

"Raynor, out of here, now!" Jill shouted.

His bike was starting when Vincent was tackled by three zerglings, scythes dug into his armor and cleaved into his body. Blood slicked their scythes thickly before the three were plastered to a wall. Jill had to stay and treat the other two for spine wounds.

_Vincent is... Vincent is dying over there and... no. Vincent is dead, I have to concentrate on these two. If he's alive, he'll be alive for a few more moments. Cant risk it._ Logic. It is an ugly thing sometimes.

It had only been a little more than a minute, but everything was falling apart. Raynor had finally gotten his bike going, he hopped in the seat and spun it around just in time to see Keyes take a full volley in the chest.

Jill opened a link again as a spine stuck into her own leg and arm. "Raynor, _leave,_ the Raiders need you!"

Then the barrage of Zerg had stopped, Jill's medic armor had run out of supplies just then, she was getting up to check Vincent when Keyes ripped in half from his right hip to his left collar bone. Both halves of him flew into the nearby wall. The air shimmered as something formed. A woman, or what had been a woman. Her hair was joined bone, her skin was a sickly yellow, and possibly not even skin. Extra limbs from her back were the powerful weapon that had literally split Keyes.

The once-woman took a single stride to Kagi and Jill, something shot out at them so fiecely it could rip the top half of their armor off and claw into their chests. Neither was injured enough to stop fighting however. The impaler rounds from Kagi's weapon were hardly able to injure her tough skin. Jill had taken her pistol out and put a few rounds into the abomination before she struck them both with such force they flew ten meters just to slam into the neo-steel wall.

Their badly damaged armors mostly shattered on the impact, along with various bones. The Kerrigan abomination was speaking to Raynor as he prepared to leave. Apparently she was sparing him.

Kagi could feel the life flowing out of him, blood leaking from his deep chest wound, the impact had crushed some organs and the loss of them was eating at his life. He crawled toward Jill, sighting a smashed sapphire on the way. He tried to look up at her, and felt a sting as blood went into his eyes, he shook his head and blinked what he could away. Jill was moving toward him as well.

"K-Kagi, are you alright?"

"Nah, I don't exactly feel like I'm going to make it, you?" He shrugged off the remains of the left shoulder of his combat suit, all of the upper half of Jill's was missing. Without that to hold him, he could crawl out of the leg portion, as she had done after the hit. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him with the last of his strength.

"Same... Vincent... how is he?"

Kagi looked to him and found the body still, "I don't think he is much better."

Raynor had just sped out of the Command Center, Kerrigan looked after him a moment then stalked back out of the room.

"Jill...can I ask... a favor?" He managed to get out.

"Sure, what have I to lose?"

"Just, a kiss. I haven't had one for months."

Jill, being the one in better condition, leaned over to him and granted that request. Their lips touched, slightly opened. For just a moment their tongues brushed then they both rolled groaning in pain for a moment.

"Thank you Jill, it-"

"Elhaym."

"What?" He glanced at her to see her blinking rapidly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You were right... Gods, Kagi..."

Darkness closed over their worlds slowly, Kagi wrapped an arm around her.

"Kagi, do you still love me?" She asked.

"Of course..." The world went black.

* * *

Yeah... I think thats it. If I get enough requests, and a burst of creativity toward this story I might find a way to continue it. Well anyway, you stop waiting for my next chapters now, no more should be coming unless what I said happens. On a lighter note, I'm by no means stopping my writings. Check Fictionpress with the same username to catch some original work. Fun fact: this very well may be the first story I've ever ended. Huzzah! 


	18. Medical Attention

Disclaimer: I do not own starcraft or any of their copyrighted material, however this fanfiction is mine, no touchy.

Chapter 18: Medical Assistance

Elhaym saw stars dancing through her mind as mild sensations played in the background. Her memory wasn't quite clear... Something was going on that she couldn't quite place, something wasn't right.

Then again it felt so good to just lie there and let the world slip by... _slip by?_

Her eyes flashed open, all she could see was the floor and a brown leg covered in a hard carapace. Elhaym flinched and tried to roll off it, those dull sensations in the back of her mind came to life, her arm and leg had spines piercing through them, and her whole body felt pretty badly broken. She remembered dimly why her armor was all gone. That infested beast had slammed her and Kagi into the wall and... she just remembered it. _Kagi and Vincent, where are they? _

She slowly moved her head to the side and looked to see if there was anyone else. The zergling carrying her was alone however. Elly thought as fast as she could as she realized they were coming closer to the barracks of the command center, the place Zerg traditionally turned into infestation chambers.

She still had a knife on her right leg, unfortunately the leg had a spine in it and she couldn't bring up any closer to her hand. As luck would have it, the zergling stumbled which caused her leg to swing close enough for her to grab the knife without the zergling knowing. Elly concentrated on which of her muscles weren't in excruciating pain and found that she'd have one chance...

Elly rolled off the zergling backward, falling beside it, and brought the knife down along its spinal cord, slicing between the vertebrae. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to cut the spine.

The Zergling looked at her with rage in its eyes as a scythe came down on her, she rolled back on her right side, and jammed the knife into its gut, twisting it around between the armored plates. It jumped forward to escape and then charged back at her; the scythe arms were back, apparently it wanted to tear her apart with its teeth. As it neared her she tried one last effort, and slammed the knife forward into its eye socket, piercing the small layer of bone in the back of the socket and stabbing the brain stem. It collapsed onto her.

Stars flashed through her sight as the weight of the zergling crushed her damaged ribcage, just barely she was able to slide out from under it, leaving her skin torn and bleeding from the sharp armored carapace. Elhaym slowly rose to her feet, and clinging to the railing on the wall she moved back toward the vulture storage.

Elhaym had reached one of the vultures they had primed to escape with Raynor, and rolled into the cockpit seat. Slowly she righted herself against the protests of her aching bones and torn muscles, then punched up the command programs. The screen lit up with a few automatic commands. She set it to take her to the nearby 'beach head' where the Terrans had landed, the same place Raynor had headed to.

_Are Kagi and Vincent still alive out there? _She looked at the bloody mess in the hanger and shook her head a little dismissively. _No, they both died before my eyes. They're gone... there's nothing I can do._ With that statement in her own mind, despite it feeling tinged with unreality, she slipped into a deep slumber as the vulture sped off toward the base, leaving angry Zerg behind, chasing a short distance before they gave up in wake of the vulture's speed.

* * *

Inside the barracks of the command center the wounded and dying bodies of the fallen terran were brought in and placed in the living beds the soldiers used to sleep on. Bodies too damaged to be infested were consumed, either directly, or used in the production of creep, which was now slowly covering the surface of the encampment. Two of the first ones to be brought in were still cellularly alive, but no normal terran medicine would be able to save them. The extremely efficient Zerg biology however would be able to save them, at a price. Their humanity.

The first body was still in its combat armor, though it had many deep chest wounds, the cause of death. It was thrown bodily into a fleshy bunk and soon the sentient tendrils of flesh began to explore the armor. As it discovered holes in it, its sentient flesh began to cover the wounds of its new host. The Zerg tissues quickly re-purposed to their new body and began to revive the dying flesh. Creep was used to nourish the body, bringing the exhausted body back to activity, but even as the body came back it was being altered. New chemicals were being pumped into it even as some tissues were simply converted, causing the body to become what the Zerg wanted of it. The brain slowly revived back to full functionality due to its recent death, but the chemicals it had been forced to synthesize caused it to remain in a coma.

As the Zerg tissues worked their way deeper and deeper it created new glands in the skull to lower some brain functions as well as starting to grow a small lobe to add to the brain, once it matured it would connect the host's mind to the Zerg's hive-mind.

The other was a mess, its insides were all bleeding from various lacerations and most of the bones in its torso were shattered, many others were broken. It as well was loaded into a bunk and the infestation began, this time starting by creating a mask over the mouth and then punching a few holes into the body cavity to start from the inside.

As the minds of these two new bodies were committed to the overlords in control of the area they took notice of the identities and memories of the two. It was taken as an important find and passed onto the new cerebrate which had command of these brood. It in turn found it important and had the overmind alerted to it.

_These two terrans proved to be quite resourceful in combat and well... lucky. They'll be better as warriors than explosive fodder... Cerebrate, arm them with terran weapons and if you deem it prudent give them a small command. _The overmind went back to its business.

The tissues warping and healing the two terrans immediately shifted to prevent the explosive chemicals from developing in the hosts' innards, flushing out what was already there.

_Kagi opened his eyes and found himself back in the open field that he had dreamed so vividly of when he had been sick. Elly was where she was standing last time, looking at the far off battle slowly coming closer and closer. He approached her and stood beside her again. She turned to him and took his hand as transports began to descend far off. The sky burned red as the earth itself died at their feet._

_He could remember this part... to his left was Vincent, ready to charge with the wave of terran soldiers surging past him. The Protoss began to amass with them as well. He and Elly were encased in armor and surged forward into the fray as well. Kagi could remember a little of this battle, and fared better. At one point he saw the ultralisk that had killed Vincent last time... his rocket landed directly on its head, blasting it mostly to pieces. Though he and Vincent still had to work to get a few impaler spikes through the remains of its skull._

_Then the wall of hydralisk that had launched that volley, with a yell he got many of the marines near him to open fire on the line and shred it. His memories of the battle were turning the tide, people were looking to him for commands; the Zerg began to thin out, their numbers were even with the terrans again. Then something terrible happened, he felt tendrils of hot flesh moving through the leg sections of his armor._

_They held him in place and forced their way higher and higher. They pushing through his skin and into his body, he felt like his veins were on fire. Suddenly the most important detail of all of this went from the slithering tentacles wrapping around his organs to the the one he felt pushing up along his spine._

_With a sharp push it moved past the base of his skull and went along the base of his brain. His arms and legs moved without his mind telling them to. Another presence appeared in his mind, a horrible, massive presence._

_He wasn't trapped in place anymore, he was fighting again, his blood boiled and his thoughts were full of elation at killing. Finally able to kill and rend flesh again. The protoss exploded into blue puffs of psi energy, the miserable terrans screamed a glorious song of agony from what he was doing to them. His left hand was now just two fingers and a thumb, covered in hard bone, so sharp they cut through terran armor. The other hand was basically melded to his gun._

_Tendrils extended from his arm to reach back to multiple magazines that were held on his back and side. Every time he used up his magazine of impaler spikes it would swiftly switch them out and allow him to reload faster than ever before. Vincent was with him, similarly changed and enjoying the slaughter just as much as him, the warm, safe presence of creep at their feet only increased their fervor._

_The smile on his twisted face only grew and grew until the corners of his pale, bruised face began to bleed. He and Vincent both impaled a terran medic on their clawed hands. He knew this one... Elhaym. Her hot blood flowed over both their hands._

_"Kagi... Vincent..." odd, she didn't have any weapons on her anymore. She did just a moment ago, "if I have to go... I'm glad it was you two..." Her eyes closed and a small part of Kagi's mind far back was screaming something... He couldn't make it out though._

The one that had so many broken bones groaned softly against the wet flesh as its mind was ravaged by the Zerg's influence.

* * *

Author's note: Well I've definitely been gone for quite a while, and despite that I did intend to end this story in the last chapter, I did get a lot of requests to keep it going and thats what this is all about. Hopefully I'll get some encouragement to keep going with this... Well if you're just outraged with the continuation of all of this, then pretend the rest of this doesn't exist!

Post note: I've gone over this chapter again and touched up some typos. So I guess its Version 1.1 eh?

Post Post note: Fanfiction deleted all of my separation bars again and I forgot to debug it when I uploaded. Version 1.2!!


	19. Resurrection

Disclaimer: I do not own Starcraft or any of its copyrighted material. I do own this fiction however, no touchy.

Chapter 19: Resurrection

Elhaym awoke in a rough bed and bright room. She slowly opened her eyes to find that the room was nearly all white and very sterile. A hospital room it seemed. She realized belatedly that someone in the room was speaking, the speaker and listener were both too fuzzy to make out for some reason.

As her hearing and vision slowly stumbled their way back to full functionality she also noticed the many I.V.'s and lines inside her. She was definitely hooked up to a lot of vitals.

"... my ass, so I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know when this little lady comes to, understand doctor Climber?" Raynor, definitely him.

"Of course sir, but her welfare comes first, and it may be a while before I can deem her fit for something like that," the doctor said obviously defying him.

As Raynor nodded and turned to walk away Elly cleared her throat weakly.

He turned looking back at the doctor expecting for it to have been him making the sound, and found Elly looking back at him. "Corporal Elhaym! You're awake! Are you alright?"

She opened her mouth to speak and found herself coughing for a few moments before sputtering out a few incomprehensible words. The doctor leapt to her side and gave her a drink of water, quieting her coughs. "What happened sir? Back on Char?"

"Kerrigan was there after all, we were supposed to rescue her but... she was infested by the Zerg like I've never seen before. She led the Zerg to attack our outpost and crushed it faster than anything I've ever seen Zerg do before, do you remember?"

"Yes... but after that sir. Its foggy."

"You and a few others decided to get me out of there, and ended up saving my life, at the cost of all of your lives, and nearly yours as well. Vincent, Kagi, and Keyes... I remember their's the most vividly. And what I thought was your death as well. But you ended up nearly being blown into a smoldering crater when we picked up your vulture heading for the base. We found you with multiple broken ribs and hydralisk spines in your left arm and right leg. There were some internal injuries as well but we were in time to save you. Though you'll need to have some new organs grown when we get back to settlement that can handle that order, otherwise your life will be cut a bit short when they fail."

The doctor cut in, "you're in no danger anytime soon of course, don't be afraid of that, problems would arise in five or ten years you understand."

"Vincent and Kagi never got back? They never gave a signal that they survived?" Elly looked so hopeful that the answer would contradict everything she knew to be true.

"Well," Raynor couldn't squash her dreams when she was in this state, "we got some sort of strange readings from the base, weapons fire, but thats it," at least that much was true.

She smiled a long time at that before Raynor realized she had fallen asleep with her eyes still a little open; he closed them for her and left the room.

* * *

"Doctor," Elly had woken up and grabbed Climber's arm as he was adjusting her I.V.'s concentrations, thoroughly scaring the holy hell out of him. "How am I? And when can I get back out of here?"

"You shouldn't be thinking of fighting again when-"

"Tell me doctor."

He sighed, _why are they so damned stubborn? _"Well, you have damage to 80 of your internal organs, but the ones that are life-threatening are your heart, left kidney, and liver. Those organs are covered very weak scar tissue at the moment, your heart especially could start bleeding and fail without any oxygen, whereas a similar but slightly slower thing could happen with the others.

"-But you said that it wouldn't come up..."

"No, it won't, unless you're under extreme duress. Which you shouldn't be up until you get the transplants. You're pretty high up on the transplant list due to your combat record."

"I see, and what else?"

"Well the broken bones and massive tissue damage, mostly muscle tissues, will take a while to heal up. Though we will be taking you on small walks starting in the next few days so you don't forget how to." The doctor flipped on the vidscreen and handed her a remote.

"I'm a little hungry..."

"Understandable, you haven't eaten in a week. I'll go let an orderly know to bring you something, let us know if there is anything else we can do for you alright Ms. Elhaym?" Climber stepped out of the room and left Elly watching the news feeds. Military news feeds so the accuracy of the news would at least be better than civilian feeds.

* * *

Kagi and Vincent of Jormungand brood were mostly accustomed to their new bodies. Their improvements left them faster, stronger, and more lethal than any other terrans. It took some getting used to though with all the new muscle and sometimes changes in body parts entirely. Using the claw was especially trying for Vincent, while Kagi had had trouble adjusting to the tendrils that reloaded the gun, and the fleshy appendage that encompassed their weapons.

They had gone out and trained diligently in moving and fighting with their new bodies, something they knew their cerebrate didn't quite approve of. Though it still allowed them to, as their past life had given them such strong routine that breaking it might weaken the Zerg hold on them.

As it stood however, they were loving it, endorphines poured into their blood at even the thought of killing. And they just wanted to take apart anything they were told to.

* * *

Medical craft and civilian transports lifted off from Char, Zerg forces closed in trying to get their claws on anything living. Half of the military was still on the planet when the outer bunkers were taken, first a path was cut down the center and after that a pincer destroyed what was left of their defenses.

Scattered communications of doomed soldiers reported that they were being led by two infested humans, ones that were actually fighting rather than detonating on anything. Fighting like devils. They would charge the bunkers and together tear off the protective covers, then shred the men inside. Or sometimes they would simply fire into the covers and cut the men down. One group's last transmission was from a panicked private as they rushed in and jammed grenades into the terran armors so hard that it embedded in them before moving to the next.

The last remnants of the terran defenders retreated back to the e-vac ships, filling in the last few bunkers. Hydralisk rained spines down onto the barracks at their extreme range, hitting a few of the terrans unfortunate enough to still be outside a bunker. As return fire pock-marked the hydralisk, they pulled back behind the charging swarm of zerglings being led by the two infested terrans causing all the ruckus.

Zergling bodies shredded under the concentrated fire, the few infested terrans in the group exploded, the heat of the blasts would break apart even more zerglings. With bleeding holes in their bodies the two leading the charge reached the first bunker with a group of zerglings.

Swiftly the shutters were torn away and zerglings rushed inside to rip apart the vulnerable terrans. As more and more bunkers were taken their losses were matched in zergling bodies, soon the zerglings had to be supplemented by hydralisk. Even then the Zerg's forces continued to dwindle.

Even with their amazing new metabolism Kagi and Vincent's bodies were breaking down under the strain of so much damage and the prolonged battle. With about a tenth of the non-combatants killed and three-fourths of all the military personnel stationed in defense dead, the battle seemed to turn slightly toward the terrans. The last of the non-combatants were gone, giving everyone a huge rush that they'd done it. Zerg forces slowed their advance just as their 'leaders' seemed to be failing.

Meanwhile the last four craft that were being loaded with evacuees (all military now) a vehicle carrying patients from the military hospital overlooked the battle. Elly peered through the monitors along the side to see that the zerg had approached close enough that she could get a good look at them as they approached the vehicle.

Two infested terrans tore into a PFC not twenty feet from her outside the plated walls. They spotted the medical truck and seemed to decide it was acceptable prey. They rushed up meeting the vehicle's 60kph, then unleashed their gauss rifle's rockets into the wheels, blowing off the wheels and axles entirely. Even as zerg started to charge the truck the two mentally commanded them to go elsewhere, then tore through the Titanium-B plating to reveal injured terrans. Elly among them.

She was sure now, it was them, no doubt. Through those twisted faces and bodies Elly could still tell that it was Kagi and Vincent. Through the elation of finding them alive she was horrified of what they had become. Elly took her pistol and leveled it at the two of them. She took aim quickly at Vincent's head as he approached the first invalid. Her finger crept back on the trigger...

A loud blast sounded through the truck, and a body hit the floor. An injured man had tried to run and was shot into a wall by Kagi. Elly had dropped her gun, unable to do it. To her they were still her friends, she couldn't kill them.

By that time the two of them had killed half the truck and reached Elly, Kagi raised his clawed hand ready to impale her.

Two rockets sailed through the air and detonated a meter behind Kagi. He and Vincent were blown into opposite walls as an elite team rushed inside and started firing at them. Before it seemed they could collect their senses they had torn through the titanium-B plate and rushed into the outside battle.

Moments later Elly felt herself being loaded into a ship and soon after the forces of acceleration pulled at her. She however was lost in thought. Still she felt elated that they were alive, but at what cost? Their very humanity. Suddenly she regretted her decision of not shooting them. But at the same time she knew she wouldn't be able to if presented with the situation again. Tears rushed down Elly's soot-streaked face.

* * *

Well there it is after all that time. I've finally gotten back to writing. Ironically its when I have the LEAST time to write. Wonderful. Regardless, here ya go, another will follow shortly. 


	20. Preparation

Disclaimer: I do not own Starcraft or any of its copyrighted material. I do own this fiction however, no touchy.

Chapter 20: Preparation

Their blood boiled at the thought of what would soon happen, the violence they could soon bring down upon the terrans. They didn't actually have any conscious thought toward it, but through their link in the hive mind they could feel their cerebrate's desire to kill as if it was their own.

_Yes, _the words in Kagi's mind seemed to hiss, _we can finally go back to the battlefield. I cannot wait._

Vincent and Kagi had grown much more inseparable after their infestation, the hive mind connection brought them to a level they had never experienced before in their past life. Because of this they could hear each other's thoughts if they chose to.

_The cerebrate has nothing for us to do until then though._

_Well then, _Kagi replied directly into Vincent's mind, _we are free to do as we wish._

Freedom. It was a strange idea to them now. They didn't really have freedom, everything they did was governed by the immense and powerful cerebrate, and the cerebrates governed by the overmind. The sense of freedom seemed to spark a long abandoned part of their minds. Something distant and dormant.

Even as the thoughts of their past lives, the wants and needs of their past lives, flooded back the new portion of their brain buried the thoughts all over again. Powerful as it was it couldn't stop everything, the Zerg lobe was in fact much smaller than the rest of the brain, and a little bit of the most solidly ingrained thoughts seeped through its net.

_Train._ A single word that spoke volumes to the two of them. A need and call that came from that distant life. _We shall train,_ they both spoke into each other's minds this time. The mental voices and consciousnesses blending for just a moment and leaving them both confused as to which body was connected to which mind.

The moment passed as they moved through the command center.

_Spawning pool first?_ Vincent asked to Kagi.

_Then the Den._

They went off to find zerglings that hadn't been assigned duties by the overlords which they could issue commands to.

As they approached and felt the slight void of awareness that accompanied a zergling without a telepathic overseer they reached out and filled that void, getting six zerglings to work with. Vincent immediately commanded two to go to the armory that was kept in working condition for them and retrieve paint and rubber training rounds for their gauss rifles. As an after-thought he added a few other items to the list, including medical supplies.

He would basically have to do it himself though, the zerglings had trouble working any of the machinery and didn't really have hands to carry anything. So he'd have to take a much more direct command of them and operate the machines to get everything into packs they could load onto their backs.

In the mean time though they had four zerglings to work with. First they'd work with the rifles in their hands.

Kagi and Vincent set the four of them up for each exercise, having one charge them from the front or sides, a few times they'd have them randomly come from behind and rely on their ability to detect it with their normal senses, shutting out the constant reminder of their exact placement through the hive mind.

They learned what exactly the zerglings would do in their attacks, allowing them to come at first slowly, then as time went on they would allow them to simply charge as they wished.

_Back-step grab twist thrust elbow STOP. _Kagi stopped himself just before smashing the hinge joint of the zergling's scythe. The other charged, _instep inside-guard grab STOP,_ this time his clawed hand was around its throat, and as a bonus it was off balance and his right leg was blocking its leg.

Vincent was having a very similar experience, _out-step sliding-block grip fire, _his gauss rifle clicked on empty, lucky for the zergling he had removed all of the rounds and they didn't tear into its head. Even as he pulled the trigger the other was leaping at his side. _Drop! inside-blocks catch throw roll stom-STOP. _Now he was proud of himself, he sent the thought process to Kagi which was returned by the overwhelming desire to use it.

He had dropped to the ground as the zergling jumped and slid both scythes' attacks away from him by catching the joints, the 'elbows' of the arms, and caught it on his boot. The suit's power was more than enough to send it flying over him and give him enough momentum to come up right by its head as it landed and smash its head. However he managed to pull the stomp before it happened.

Now they brought out the training rounds and proceeded to try target practice on zerglings. Seeing into their minds they could predict their movements easily, but they needed to learn it, so they both eventually shut down that part of their minds and relied only on what they saw and remembered zerglings would do. It didn't always work, but they were getting better. More training was needed. The scrapes on their armor proved they needed more in hand-to-hand as well. Or rather, claw.

Once they had finished with the zerglings they moved on to the hydralisk and saw what they could do there.

To their surprise they found the hydralisk to be very similar opponents, but with a few 'vulnerable' points along their bodies that would have wonderful results. A few close calls and delves into their minds reveled at least four places that if hit would either impale tissues on their own spines, or crush vital organs with their own bones.

_With all the experience we're getting fighting these Zerg, I can't help but want to try it out, to see _blood _caused by my hand. But we'll probably never get the chance to fight our own kind._

* * *

Meanwhile Elly was preparing herself as best she could, training her mind and body every day for when she would next put her life on the line. One of the few medics that could boast fighting as well as healing, she took great pride in her natural marksmanship and drilled herself in it daily. The scuttlebutt said something about combat coming soon.

Only it didn't seem to be quite in their favor, another battle group that had been evacuating lost their battlecruiser. Though when the zerg began to get the upper hand the captain of the ship decided he wouldn't let the bastards get away and sent out a broadcast on all bands, even their own group had gotten it. It was simple and kept repeating for as long as was possible, it stated that the zerg were attacking in the ship and that they'd hold for as long as they could, but they wouldn't let the zerg simply take the ship, the ship was going to be set into a reactor over-load cycle and then the expected range of the blast that would ensue. That was common knowledge on the ship, anyone with a receiver device had their signal pirated to hear it.

The rumor was that they were headed off to save the group of military and civilian survivors that had miraculously gotten away in time. The physicists on-board had been questioned by some of the crew and they personally believed that many refugees would need radiation treatment, which could only be found on a battlecruiser or a similarly equipped medical ship.

In Elly's opinion it wasn't a matter of _should_ they rescue them, they couldn't leave behind people who had been through so much grief and trial.

* * *

Author's Note: Well okay, I just posted two chapters then. And I really think I should post another... But three is just too many for one day. I'll stick the next one on in a few days, I'm writing every day now and I'm actually a few more ahead than are up on fanfiction. Well I hope you enjoy! Give me some reviews so I know that someone is still reading my drivel. 


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